Civic Dinners and the Gift of Listening

In what has felt like a million years rather than one, 2020 is finally reaching its end. And just like everything else in 2020, holiday celebrations and gift giving will look a little different this year. Whether it’s financial struggles, time constraints, or pure exhaustion, even thinking about what gifts to give (or how to react when receiving) can be tiring. What do you get for a collective tired world?

We’ve been mulling over this question. What do you get for a collective tired world? 

 

Our founder and CEO, Jenn Graham, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. In the midst of a global pandemic, a contentious election, and running a startup, she brought life into this world. And in doing so, helped us all realize what’s most important - the gift of listening. Listening to the cries of a newborn. Listening to the needs of employees. Listening to the wants of the world. Listening to truly understand, rather than respond, and not in the interest of self-serving. In this time, listening is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give.

This is something we’ve all heard before. “Listening is the greatest gift of all.” It’s safe to assume we’ve all been in a situation where as the storyteller, you watch eyes slowly glaze over, or notice the subtle ways people are tuning out. It doesn’t feel good. It’s quite invalidating. And yet, we can’t help but do it to others, as well.

 

As Brené Brown reminds us, we as humans desire connection. We want to be seen, we want to be heard, to be acknowledged and understood. But, more than once have we on both an individual and societal level failed to listen to, amplify, and center voices of activists, advocates and historically marginalized peoples. And it is this failure to listen that has and continues to prevent us from creating a truly equitable society.

 

By definition, equity is a state of fairness. And it looks different to everyone. Our country’s ever-evolving deep-seated issues can not be solved unless we take the first step to listen. By listening, we seek to understand another’s experiences and perspectives. It is a demonstration of care and respect. 

 

Listening is something we all can give more of, and as this holiday season begins, let’s give generously.

With equal time to both share and listen, Civic Dinners works as a stepping stone to help achieve equity in communities, workplaces and universities. We’ve listened to the wants and needs of our hosts, guests, and partners to create a brand new series: The Equity Series.

 

The Equity Series is a thoughtfully designed collection of conversations about how we can co-create an equitable society, where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of who they are and where they come from. It is a series about how we can truly listen to one another, and then do something about it.

 

Interested in bringing the Equity Series within your community or your organization? Learn about how Civic Dinners can be a tool for change here.