Creating Dialogue on Race
What Color is Community?
The Spark: The concept for Dialogue on Race Louisiana ignited during Baton Rouge’s 1994 Town Meeting, where the community first asked, “What color is community?” This pivotal moment highlighted the need for structured conversations on race within local neighborhoods.
The Creation of Dialogue on Race Louisiana
The Foundation: Maxine Crump, President and CEO, moved by the community’s desire to talk about race, created the program over 20 years ago. Bringing on volunteers expanded the program. The official chartering of Dialogue on Race Louisiana as a nonprofit organization came in 2011.
Dialogue on Race: A National Conversation on Race
The Expansion: Building on its foundational local success, Dialogue on Race Louisiana sparked national conversations. The organization now expands dialogue series and programs reaching across community boundaries to foster nationwide understanding and change.
Maxine Crump has been a trailblazer from the beginning. Growing up under the harsh realities of Jim Crow laws in the Deep South, she experienced firsthand the transition from overt institutional racism to its more insidious forms.
Inspired by her father, Emmanuel Crump Sr., a respected community leader in Maringouin, Louisiana, Maxine learned the power of impactful dialogue and its potential to affect institutional change.
This foundation led her to create the Dialogue on Race Original Series over twenty years ago. The series aims to transform how America talks about race and end racism.