Together We Rise.

Together We Rise is a 4-part series of community gatherings born out of the pain and necessity to address the racism stemming from the killings in South Carolina at the Bethel AME Church. A design team of local leaders convened at United Way River Cities to determine the composition of events such that they would authentically ask the right questions, and support citizens in finding solutions. Our work revealed the need to bridge the existing silos of current citizens, separated because of race and class. Art created for each gathering; an original play “Race” was performed by local actors, “Kid Speak” a documentary, asking youth in the tri-state about race, and a mural was combined with expert lectures in a wholehearted effort to address racism. Each gathering revealed enormous potential, so distributive voting and a corporate OGSM model were used to map and strategize how racism could be dismantled, all done with the input of over 237 community members.