A year into the Transforming Community Project, the five-year endeavor to explore race-related issues in the University's history, participants came together on Friday afternoon to discuss their findings and experiences thus far with the project.

The project's leaders, Associate Professor of History and African American studies and chair of African American studies Leslie Harris and Vice President and Deputy to the President Gary Hauk, talked about the progress made and what remains to be done.

Harris said the work of the first year revolved around historical research - including archival investigation and oral histories - and Community Dialogues, discussion groups that bring together faculty, students and staff as forums on issues of race at Emory.

"From what I understand, the dialogues ranged all over, from the state of America today to what happened last week at work," she said.

Hauk said the Transforming Community Project is not just about exploring the past, despite the historical research involved.

"It really is about who we are now as a community and who we want to become," he said. "I think the TCP is about not being conformed to the prejudices and old ways of thinking … but about being renewed."

In the Community Dialogues, people discussed their thoughts about racially provocative movies, books and essays and about the state of race at Emory.

College junior Mary Parker said the strong emotions that arise can be directed toward positive action.

"Personally, I left my Community Dialogue on a weekly basis upset and frustrated and angry and not knowing where to go next," she said. "But that energy that it's fostering in you on a weekly basis is powerful."

Associate Professor of Political Science Rick Doner, who as a co-facilitator has led two Community Dialogues, said his experience has allowed the privilege of "seeing through someone else's eyes" and has been "inspiring and energizing."

But he said the dialogues would benefit from the inclusion of more diversified political, generational and racial perspectives.

"My own experience is that most white folks, even the ones in these dialogues, are rarely ready to explore issues of racial insensitivity and racism," Doner said.

Parker seemed optimistic that the Community Dialogues could help foster larger dialogues on race at Emory.

"I think it's a positive thing that we're becoming more race-conscious and more aware that we can't just sit idle with the subtle realities we have every day on campus," she said.

Another Transforming Community Project event held over the weekend was a workshop in the Goizueta Business School on Saturday. Community Dialogues participants and other community members received training in conducting archival research and oral history interviews.

Harris said the Community Dialogues will be incorporated into the rest of the Transforming Community Project through oral history taken from participants.

Much of the work during the second year of the project will consist of more research and Community Dialogues, Harris said.

But Harris hopes to involve more people in the project through research grants to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members.

Most of the approximately 60 people in attendance in the Jones Room of the Woodruff Library on Friday were already involved in the Transforming Community Project.

Hauk said the $100,000 grant that the project received from the Ford Foundation - a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce poverty and injustice - earlier this year will go a long way in furthering research and community involvement.

"There's a lot of energy and support behind what we've been doing already," he said. "I expect that more money will be forthcoming."