My First Dialogue Dinner

This past Wednesday, I attended my first-ever dialogue dinner on campus, “Political Violence & The State of Democracy.” The SPEECH Student Peer Educators put on these events around three times per semester as a way to encourage thoughtful dialogue on campus. I was both grateful and surprised at how quickly this environment became conducive to discussion and political expression. This event was timely with the celebration of Constitution Day and in the wake of escalating political violence. 

I decided to attend this event for a variety of reasons, one of them being that three out of four of my current professors encouraged me to attend. I found myself hesitating to go. It’s moments like these that make us question our opinions. No one wants to say the “wrong” thing, regardless of whether the table happens to contain people of a similar belief. 

The event was indeed fruitful, and I came out of it feeling a renewed sense of hope for the unique state of our world today. 

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this dialogue, I am curious how resources like these can become community-wide. This event sold out, but there is always the question of whether or not the room is something of an echo chamber. 

Do all students feel comfortable coming to a setting like this, even with measures of inclusion taken? 

As a political science student, I often discuss questions like these in my classes. We are college students in such a unique era, as social media adds to political polarization, and as extremism and violence are on the rise. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to engage in a respectful conversation through this dialogue dinner, and I encourage any Holy Cross students who have not yet attended one to explore events like this, which offer engaging discussions.

• ending violence
• political science
• politics
• school activities