(De)Centering Whiteness through community dialogues about safety problems and solutions

Abstract

What happens to problem‐solution pathways when racism is prominent in a public policy issue and a group of stakeholders—the majority of whom are White—dialogue about desired policy changes? I examine this question through a case study of community dialogues about policing, safety, race, and White privilege after Philando Castile was killed by a police officer. Through longitudinal, ethnographic analysis, I trace how a series of deliberative dialogues made White complicity in racism visible, leading to problem‐solution pathways expanding beyond an initial focus on policing reform to also incorporate White residents' making deeper commitments to anti‐racism and inclusion. This shift occurred through the sequencing of topics, slowing down the pace of problem definition, building relationships, dialogue norms and facilitation methodologies, and BIPOC participants' labor. I conclude with suggestions for more constructive democratic processes to support anti‐racist governance.