'Shop Talk' video series to create conversations of race, empathy

Using solutions journalism principles to “complicate the narratives” (a process taught by the Solutions Journalism Network to counter polarization by adapting techniques used by professional mediators), the Richland Source, in partnership with a local barber, invited residents of Mansfield, Ohio, to an open, honest discussion called “Shop Talk.” (https://www.richlandsource.com/news/shop-talk-video-series-to-create-conversations-of-race-empathy/article_c069095a-aa6d-11ea-b03b-5f6a08cf748e.html) Richland Source publisher Jay Allred led the first discussion on May 31. “The conversation was honest, vulnerable and woven through with deep empathy and respect,” Allred said. “It was also astonishing in its healing power.”