What is Common Ground?

Picture a room with about 10 ordinary residents sitting in a circle. There are men and women, blacks, whites, Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic groups. They represent different religions, backgrounds and generations.

This small group of diverse people has agreed  to meet for two hours each week for seven weeks with a trained facilitator who leads a discussion on race relations.

And this fall, Common Ground will be meeting at five locations, including in Collierville, in Cordova, in South Memphis, and two sites in Uptown.

In this safe and open environment, it’s been proven that people will listen and freely share their thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions. Through Common Ground, which had its inaugural class of 221 in the spring of 2008, participants are developing relationships across racial divide.

During their time together, they share stories about what they have experienced in their lives in the Mid-South or other communities. They begin to get a glimpse of new possibilities and start to understand how a person of another race, gender or age sees the world.

Common Ground ends with an action forum. Participants from the small groups will come together and take the talk to the next level. Working with the alumni from the inaugural class of Common Ground (spring 2008), the fall participants will develop and implement specific recommendations on how to improve race relations in our community.

Participation in Common Ground requires a seven-week commitment. There are five locations for the fall 2008 sessions – click on “Participate” to choose the site that works best for you.