Hearing each other

Nearly 100 women of varying racial, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds gathered via Zoom for the “Hear Our Voices” program, to share their stories in respectful, productive conversations about race relations in America. The event was facilitated by Tracie Jae, founder of The Quiet Rebel, and hosted with Like Minds Communications. Jae used the acronym LOVE as a guideline: L – Listen with your heart; O – Observe your biases; V – Venture into unfamiliar territory; E – Expect the best. Participants were divided into smaller groups to discuss guided questions. Among them were three generations of the Chilson family – Andie Chilson, mom Monette Chilson and grandmother Cissie Watson (pictured, in December, at The Forest Club’s debutante ball). The three were split into different Zoom rooms – Jae aimed to create small groups of people who didn’t know each other previously. But after the program, Andie, Monette and Cissie talked together about ways they plan to engage in activism. “It felt like a tangible way that we could reclaim some of the integrity that was lost between three generations because of systemic racism,” Monette said. See quietrebellife.com.

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