In October 2015 Tallahassee held its first The Longest Table event, which brings together the people of Tallahassee for a meal that celebrates diversity within the community. The goal of this event is to break down barriers between citizens and erase prejudices by helping people to interact on a personal level while in a comfortable environment sharing a meal together. People of all ages attended and bonded with each other, swapping stories about why they came to Tallahassee and why they chose to stay. One of the commissioners described the event as introducing Tallahassee to itself. Local diners donated food for the event and some people brought their own homemade goods to share. However, the event is less about the food and more about the conversation that it sparks. Citizens shared ideas on how to improve Tallahassee living and how they can work together to bring everyone closer.
The event was so successful that the project won a $57,250 grant from the Knight Cites Challenge. The Knight Cities Challenge aims to fund innovation within cities and they loved how The Longest Table brought Tallahassee together and provoked community-building conversations. Conversations like this are important, especially during this intense election season, which typically tears people apart and makes people focus on their differences instead of their commonalities. Liz Joyner of The Village Square says, “In some ways, the challenge now is that we are no longer connecting with neighbors who are very different than we are, we’re listening to angry politics on TV, and we’re forgetting what we have in common.” What we have in common is the city of Tallahassee, which we all love.
The Longest Table recently held its third event on Oct. 9 of this year along the scenic view of FAMU Way. A year later the event has grown from about 400 people dining and conversing to 1000 people breaking bread together. Mayor Andrew Gillum spearheads the project, and it is apparent that he is very passionate about it. Barbara Boone, executive director of Leadership Tallahassee, describes Gillum’s vision as being impactful: “He didn’t want [people] to be like, ‘Oh that was nice,’ and walk away. We’re hoping that people will become more and more transformed by having conversations with people over a meal.”
The fourth event is coming up very soon and is sure to be bigger than the last. The next Longest Table event is going to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from one to three in the afternoon on Union Green right here at Florida State. The opportunity to connect with people you may never get the chance to meet in your daily life is an awesome one. You never know what you might learn. You can sign up to reserve a seat at the table on Event Brite. Registration is completely free, but seating is limited, so make sure to sign up by Nov. 11.