Who we are
Our Vision: Moving from Dialogue to Action
Dialogue is just the beginning. Our mission goes beyond conversation—we are committed to fostering deep relationships, building trust, and actively working toward a more just and equitable world. This requires us to engage in uncomfortable yet necessary conversations, challenge biases, and take meaningful steps to confront racial injustices—both within ourselves and in society.
We are dedicated to developing tangible initiatives that promote an anti-racist and more equitable future by:
Creating a safe and inclusive space where those impacted by racial injustice can share their experiences, and where those who benefit from White Privilege and Supremacy can listen, learn, and engage in meaningful change.
Fostering self-awareness through initiatives that challenge biases and dismantle systemic racism.
Building an anti-racist community within the Focolare Movement, our local regions, and our families.
Directly confronting racism in all forms—both overt and covert—through education, advocacy, and action.
Providing resources and educational tools to deepen anti-racist awareness and encourage self-reflection.
How Do We Make This Happen?
We believe that every conversation should lead to action. Our goal is to transform dialogue into concrete steps that drive real change in our personal lives, communities, and beyond. We do this by:
Hosting forums for open dialogue on racial issues and lived experiences.
Developing strategies to challenge and dismantle racism, bias, and marginalization.
Implementing anti-racism initiatives that inspire accountability and systemic change.
Encouraging cultural expression and creativity to bridge divides across race, religion, gender, and identity.
True change happens when words become action. We are committed to making this movement a force for real, lasting impact.
What do we do?
We’ve hosted three major Racial Equity events around specific themes:
In the skin of the other – a presentation on systemic racism and the effects it has on society and POC. Then a structured panel discussion on race and breakout groups to further discuss these themes.
Unconscious Bias – two main speakers defining unconscious bias and how we all have it. Then we broke into breakout rooms to discuss different aspects of unconscious bias and what we could do about them.
Identity & Culture – guest speaker Patrick Briggs showed us how we identify ourselves shape our decision making and how we see and ‘judge’ others.
With our conversations, we invite people to share their knowledge and experience of race in society and within the Movement. Then within smaller sharing groups we try to go into depth about what we’ve heard or our own personal experiences and think of ways we can work towards creating an anti-racist society.
How can dialogue come about?
It has been written: “To know the religion of the other person implies living in the skin of the other person, seeing the world as the other sees it, penetrating the meaning that the other finds in being Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist.”
But how do we “enter into another person’s skin?” Only love can do something like this, but it has to be true love. And we know what true love is. Jesus showed it with His life. He was God and He became man. And as a man He allowed Himself to be crucified for each one of us: He became sin in order to redeem us sinners. Therefore, love means – and the experiences we heard bear witness to this – “making ourselves one” with the other person. This kind of love, to the point of making ourselves one with the other person, enables us to understand him or her. And this is essential for dialogue.
– Excerpt from Chiara Lubich’s talk on the occasion of the “Civilization of Love” Prize in Rieti, Italy June 4, 1996.
Team Members: Angelica Kerr, Paul Belcher, Mike Morse, Vivette Catipon, Julie James