Local Color
Catalyst 411

Your involvement as a catalyst moving forward

Find the original catalyst invitation here.

We’d like to stress that there are as many ways to stay connected to this project as there are catalysts – in fact we invited people to become catalysts for many different reasons and there isn’t a specific expectation we have. We think the project will succeed best if you continue with us on your terms.

The only requirement we have is that if you do something, you stretch to include people who don’t think and look like your usual group, and that you commit to civility and respect as the foundation for your varying hometown adventures.

For some of you, perhaps you just want to be a panelist for a big Local Color event (we’ll invite the public beginning this fall) or maybe you’ll just informally connect people around you to Local Color. Others will want to actively engage in building diverse community with one of the ideas we offered up last night, and still others will have a specific idea you’d like to pursue.

If you believe in your heart – like we do – that during a crisis it’s critical to have the capacity to engage in real conversations between people who don’t look or think alike, and if you want to be either a small or large part of building that capacity in Tallahassee, please continue with us as a catalyst. (We don’t need you to know what being involved looks like for you yet, only that your heart is with us – even if you don’t have time to commit.)

The relationships we create across our differences in the coming months will form the “glue” that will make it possible for the rest of our community to join in constructively.

When catalysts gather next, we’ll be sharing some of our deeper thinking about why we’re approaching this challenge as we are. There’s even fascinating science behind our thinking. The information we’ll present also provides a helpful framework for discussions about tough issues. Importantly, we’ll be listening to you as we continue to shape the direction Local Color will take. We invited you because we want to know.

We’ll continue to send out formal invitations to specific people you’ve recommended to join us as Local Color catalysts. If you’ve decided this isn’t for you, just let us know.

Community Building Ideas

If you’d like to be involved in helping us to grow diverse community with the capacity to gather for difficult conversations, here are links for the options (note that we’d love to support you in whatever idea you might have):

Host a Jefferson Dinner (we pay up to $100 for your food)

Have Lunch Across the Aisle (you get two flying pig stickers)

Host a Book Club on Race (we can help you find participants)

A great book on human nature that explains a lot: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People of Divided by Religion and Politics.

Host a Living Room Concert (your guests pay for a ticket). Note that for now we’re past capacity for catalysts volunteers who’d like to host Motown recording artist Royce Lovett for a Living Room Concert that we pay for. We’ll let you know if spots open at a later date.

Host a Race to the Movies night – see past movies by clicking on “race” on this page.
 

If you signed up for something last night, we’ll be in touch with you with more specifics shortly.

Contact us!

Please feel free to contact any of us to ask questions, give suggestions, or to have coffee, lunch or a glass of wine. Creating relationships with you – and between you – is the very point of Local Color.

We’re looking forward to building something real, important (and kind of fun to be a part of) together.
 
The Local Color Team

(Click on the name to email us)
Jovita Woodrich
Liz Joyner
Brad Johnson
Christine White