What does it really mean to pursue community in diversity?
To address that I start with a point that’s admittedly obvious, but nevertheless warrants emphasizing so we don’t miss the nuanced meaning of this core Georgetown value.
You’ll note that the value we’re discussing is not simply “Diversity” but “Community in Diversity.”
Community in Diversity means more than bringing a diverse group of people into a space together and congratulating ourselves for doing so. Community in Diversity suggests something much deeper, and, to my mind, much more sacred than that. It’s about creating spaces of earned trust and demonstrated care that support each of us in showing up in the fullness of who we are with honesty and authenticity.
This cherished Spirit of Georgetown value is akin to how Dr. Brené Brown speaks about “belonging.”
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”
In the context of diversity, community that invites authenticity doesn’t just happen. It has to be carefully constructed.
A biodiverse garden in which every species thrives doesn’t just blossom from a bag of mixed seeds. Such beauty takes cultivation; caring, thoughtful, sensitive, sustained, and devoted cultivation. Like tending such a garden, cultivating community in diversity takes careful, thoughtful work. But cultivating community in diversity can be really fun, too, and profoundly rewarding, and reaps abundant beautiful blessings.
One of the most exciting ways I’ve seen Georgetown live its commitment to community in diversity is through a program I am now privileged to work with called In Your Shoes.
A signature methodology of The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, In Your Shoes employs techniques rooted in theatrical performance and dialogue to bring participants of diverse political, cultural, and religious backgrounds and beliefs into deep, challenging, and mutually respectful encounters with one another to foster curiosity, self-discovery, and greater mutual understanding and appreciation.
The In Your Shoes process is rooted in paired, prompted dialogues between participants. The dialogue prompts give participants space to talk openly in ways that activate their own personal story, rather than merely opinions or statements of belief. Often the topics speak to common experiences that cut across ideological and cultural divides – loneliness, grief, hope, belonging, loss, anxiety about the future, family, faith, and the larger meaning and purpose of our human existence. These pair conversations are recorded and participants then curate sections of the other person’s words and transcribe into a script. Participant pairs then return to the group (or in some cases also to an outside audience), and metaphorically step into one another’s shoes by performing one another’s words!
The results of the In Your Shoes simple but profound process are incredibly moving to experience and to behold.
It’s no wonder to me that In Your Shoes has attracted feature stories in The Washington Post and on PBS Newshour! I especially encourage you to enjoy the PBS coverage of a recent iteration of In Your Shoes involving members of Georgetown University and Patrick Henry College
In the coming months, In Your Shoes will be expanding its offerings. I’ll share these opportunities with the SCS community as they develop, and hopefully have the blessing of moving through the process with members of the SCS community towards ever greater community in all our beautiful diversity.