Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance
If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress *
How do we break these cycles? How do we help communities to turn the volume down on hateful rhetoric and instead actively listen and learn from others’ experiences? As trusted spaces, Sites of Conscience play a singular role in bridging divides – offering the public, through exhibitions and programming – opportunities to reflect on the most contentious issues, including mass incarceration, immigration, police violence and historical revisionism. There are nearly 150 Sites of Conscience throughout the country – along the border with Mexico, in environments devastated by climate change, and in rural communities in nearly every state – reminding their visitors that we are better together. Sites of Conscience cannot – and do not – do this work alone. Through robust training and consulting offerings, ICSC staff is on the ground nearly every day, working with these sites to ensure that they have the latest tools and strategies to bridge divides in their communities, while also being mindful of their own need for self-care and well-being. ICSC’s methodology is not one size fits all. Nor is it only about passing along information and skills. Instead, ICSC knows that in order to combat pervasive polarization, communities need new approaches to building trusted relationships with others and sustainable eco-systems that support and grow those connections.
Participants workshop new approaches in one of ICSC’s trainings with California State Parks.
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