An open chair. An honest conversation. A shared future.

Keeping It Civil brings people together across generations, neighborhoods, and lived experiences to explore the questions shaping our communities. Through facilitated dialogue, history, and the arts, we make room for voices too often left out and perspectives we might not otherwise encounter.

Founded in 2015, South Florida People of Color (SFPoC) brings neighbors together through facilitated dialogue, public history, and the arts to build a more equitable and inclusive South Florida. Through signature programs like Awkward Dinners and Keeping It Civil, SFPoC creates spaces where diverse voices are heard, respected, and connected. Executive Director Roni Bennett pairs a systems-thinking background from IBM with a love of storytelling and place, designing gatherings that help communities unlearn bias, heal, and lead together.

Working across nonprofit and philanthropic spaces for 20 years, Power for Good Consulting helps doers and givers move with clarity and purpose.  Aurora works to resource power-building organizations and advises funders and donors who do good about giving well.  As a movement weaver and cultural curator, she is passionate about utilizing artivism and civic activations to advance justice.

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STEP INSIDE THE CIRCLE

Not a traditional panel. A conversation people help create together.

Our fishbowl format invites participants to move from listening into the conversation. Community voices, elders, young people, artists, and civic leaders share the space, with a moderator guiding the exchange.

Listening matters here, too. The invitation is to participate with honesty, curiosity, and care.

On October 2, 2026, generations of Miamians gathered at Barry University to consider how the city’s history continues to shape its present and future. Guided by Dwight Bullard, the conversation explored the land, the people, and the city’s charter through questions of housing, the environment, immigration, history, and belonging.

Poetry, music, and art were part of the conversation, not separate from it. They made room for reflection, joy, and connection alongside the difficult truths.

WHY KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING?

Community does not begin or end on Election Day. We need places to learn our history, consider whose voices are missing, and talk honestly about the decisions that affect our lives.

Keeping It Civil is a nonpartisan space for civic learning and community connection before, between, and beyond elections. As we plan future gatherings, we invite partners to help bring these conversations into more communities.

Bring a circle to your community

What conversation does your community need to have?

We welcome inquiries from universities, cultural institutions, faith communities, neighborhood organizations, and other partners interested in convening a Keeping It Civil gathering. Together, we can explore the local questions, voices, and setting that would make the conversation meaningful.

START A CONVERSATION

Understanding is a beginning. Advocacy is the purpose.

We do not bring people together to avoid difficult truths. We bring them together to examine history, confront racism, and deepen the understanding that can help people stand up for one another.

Your gift to South Florida People of Color supports the people, preparation, and community relationships behind this work. If you believe historical truth, equity, and informed advocacy belong in our shared future, help sustain them.

FUND THE WORK