On the Table community conversation set for Tuesday

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Members of the Midlands community will be dining together Tuesday at events throughout the region in an effort to encourage conversation and social initiatives.

This is the second year that the Central Carolina Community Foundation is hosting On the Table at locations throughout the Midlands, encouraging citizens, business owners, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, students and community and religious leaders to engage in civic dialogue.

For example, the Richland Library is hosting a Let’s Talk Race conversation at its On the Table program at the library’s main location on Assembly Street. The public is invited and the event is free.

“Not only does this initiative support the library’s vision of enhancing the quality of life for our entire community, but it enables us to offer safe spaces for local residents to engage in both conversation and collaboration,” said Tamara King, library community relations director.

The Richland Library On the Table discussion is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Karen Andrews, founder of the Auntie Karen Foundation, which uses the arts to connect communities, said the On the Table event she hosted last year brought residents of the 29203 ZIP code together for a discussion. Out of that dialogue, her foundation organized a neighborhood block party and farmers market. She said the people who attended On the Table brought up concerns that helped connect her foundation with the community.

“They really want a farmers market. There’s not a grocery store within a two-mile radius. And they really wanted an opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables,” Andrews said. “They really wanted activities for the kids to participate in. … They wanted to make sure that there were positive things happening in the community for the kids.”

Sowing Seeds Into the Midlands founder and executive director Zakiya Esper said the On the Table event her group hosted last year brought together judges, law enforcement officers, teachers and other key players in the criminal justice system that she normally couldn’t get together in one place at the same time. Sowing Seeds helps provide mentoring and resources to kids involved in the juvenile justice system. The group’s mission is to break the school-to-prison pipeline.

“It’s the only time I can think of where I was able to gather people in such an intentional way to really brainstorm and say ‘From where I sit,’ because we all sit somewhere different. It’s not something that I had been able to coordinate before that day,” she said.

Esper also said the event helps the community learn about participating nonprofits and organizations such as Sowing Seeds and the services they provide.

Hosts invite six to 12 guests to participate or offer tables open to the public and guide the conversation. On the Table events are held for various meals at homes, restaurants or community spaces. Super hosts, such as the Richland Library, host larger events.

Participation is free. For some events, food is provided by the hosts. Some events are potluck, and for other events, guests are asked to provide their own food.

Hosts are organized through the Central Carolina Community Foundation and receive assistance throughout the year in planning their On the Table events.

Steven Hughes, founder of Know Money Inc., which teaches college students financial literacy, invited business owners, entrepreneurs, educators and finance experts and to the group’s 2018 event to share their wisdom with Hughes and the students Know Money serves.

“If they want to start a business today, what is the first thing that they do?” Hughes asked the participants. “And what’s the next thing? And the next thing after that? And who are the people that they need to meet? It’s a guiding resource for people who want to launch or grow their businesses.”

Participants are asked to complete a survey to evaluate the event and give organizers ideas for next year. The foundation awards mini-grants of up to $2,000 to 11 area organizations for Beyond the Table conversations.

Andrews said she hopes On the Table continues in the years to come.

“It’s a much-needed activity,” she said. “I think it’s a catalyst for getting a conversation started. And in our case, it was a catalyst for building a relationship with the community.”

Although many On the Table events are booked, some availability may remain.

The Central Carolina Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving 11 Midlands counties.