Your voice is needed for new community-building group

 
Visit Natchez is creating a new community-building group
that will help us unite as a community, find common ground, and speak with a
voice of healing and understanding to our citizens, as well as our visitors.
 
We’re doing this with the help of The Alluvial
Collective. This group is a nonprofit, Jackson-based organization that works to
end inequity that is based on difference by cultivating a sense of belonging
and wholeness in a community.
 
As we announced at our 2024 Summit, Visit Natchez is
working with this organization to help bridge gaps in our community by
addressing some of the critical issues and challenges related to Natchez’s
history.
 
Our community-building group is unlike anything we’ve had
in the past. We’re meeting once a month for 90 to 120 minutes (with a
preference for 90 minutes) for a period of nine months in downtown Natchez. We
held our first meeting in February. Since then, we held meetings in March and
April, and I must say, we’ve had some vibrant discussions about our community.
 
Because this program is designed for nine months, it will
conclude in October. Our next meeting is set for 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 28, at
Historic Natchez Foundation.
 
At this time, we’re inviting others in our community to
come and be part of this important program. Will you join us? If so, then
please reach out to a friend or family member and invite them to join as well.
 
The Alluvial Collective uses a process designed to bridge
perceived fractures, differences, and inequities through a sustained engagement
with a consistent group of participants who follow established guidelines. This
process helps, among other things, to create relational trust, unity, teamwork,
and cohesiveness in a group of community or organization members. It presents
proven and effective ways to bridge differences and improve communication.
 
Through a series of monthly meetings with a group made up
of our partners, we delve deeply into the controversies, misunderstandings, and
vital questions about race relations, antebellum homes, and other issues in our
culture and history. In other words, we aim to have the hard conversations
about vital topics that make us most uncomfortable, while also building trust
and recognizing our connections with one another.
 
Your voice is needed for these and other conversations.
 
This engaging, participatory approach uses deep
listening, storytelling, and relationship building as prerequisites to creating
more inclusive and equitable communities and working dynamics. The process
fosters a space for a wide range of perspectives, without personal shaming or
blaming.
 
Our goal is to work together, lifting up our different
experiences and perspectives for the higher good.
 
Past participants have described the meetings as a
valuable, empowering experience, with the Alluvial Collective team facilitating
a supportive space like few have participated in before.
 
Please note that these meetings are the ideal place for
dialogue and reflection. Participants include people from diverse backgrounds
who break up into small group circles.
 
The meetings are held at 10 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of
the month at Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St. Future meetings
will be held on May 28, June
25, July 23, Aug. 27, Sept. 24, and
Oct. 22.
 
Will you join us? If so, then please let me know by
sending email to me at [email protected]
Together we can make a difference. Let’s do it!
 
—————
 
ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage
tourism manager for Visit Natchez.