From Harmony Team to Community Movement: 20 Years of Conversations That Changed Everything  

Twenty years ago, a small group gathered in the St. Cloud Mayor’s office with a big problem and an even bigger hope. Racial tensions in our community had reached a breaking point, and something had to be done. What started as the “Mayor’s Racial Harmony Team” seemed like such a formal, institutional response to what felt like an insurmountable challenge.

We had no idea we were planting seeds for a movement that would still be growing two decades later.

The Early Days: When “Harmony” Felt Impossible  

In 2003, St. Cloud was a community in transition. New immigrant populations were finding their footing alongside longtime residents. Cultural misunderstandings were creating real tensions in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Well   meaning people on all sides were talking past each other rather than to each other.

The Mayor’s Racial Harmony Team began with the best of intentions but quickly realized that “harmony” wasn’t something that could be mandated from the top down. Real change would require something much more radical: authentic conversation between people who saw the world very differently.

The Shift: From Harmony to Community  

By 2005, we had evolved from a city initiative into something entirely different. We became “Create CommUNITY”     a name that captured our growing understanding that true community isn’t something that exists naturally, but something we must actively and intentionally create together.

Our first official “Conversations on Race” drew maybe 50 people to a church basement. We had no professional facilitators, no proven methodology, and honestly, no idea what we were doing. What we had was a conviction that people are basically good, that most conflicts come from misunderstanding rather than malice, and that given the right space and invitation, neighbors can find common ground even across significant differences.

Learning to Listen: The Art of Authentic Conversation  

Those early years taught us everything about what doesn’t work in community dialogue:

    Debates don’t change minds; they harden positions

    Experts lecturing doesn’t create connection

    Good intentions aren’t enough without good process

    Safe spaces require more than good will     they need skilled facilitation

We learned to ask different questions. Instead of “How do we solve racism?” we began asking “How do we get to know each other as whole human beings?” Instead of focusing on policies and systems (important as they are), we started with stories and relationships.

The breakthrough came when we realized that the goal wasn’t agreement     it was understanding. When a Somali mother could share her fears about her children’s safety at school, and a longtime resident could express his confusion about cultural changes in his neighborhood, and both could be truly heard without judgment     that’s when real community began to emerge.

Growing Beyond Our Borders  

What started in St. Cloud began attracting attention from other Minnesota communities facing similar challenges. Moorhead called. Then Duluth. Then communities in Wisconsin and Iowa. The model was replicable because it wasn’t really a model at all     it was simply creating space for authentic human connection.

We began training facilitators, sharing resources, and supporting sister organizations across the region. The Mayor’s office initiative had become a grassroots movement spanning multiple states, hundreds of organizations, and thousands of individual changemakers.

The Marnita’s Table Partnership: A Perfect Match  

This year marks another evolution in our journey. We’re partnering with Marnita’s Table, an organization that began the same year we became Create CommUNITY and has been perfecting the art of “Intentional Social Interaction” ever since.

Marnita Schroedl and her team have done what we’ve always aspired to do: create a replicable, research   backed methodology for bringing people together across difference in ways that create lasting change. Their work spans 15 countries and has welcomed over 67,000 participants. When 38% of people report lasting behavioral changes after just one three   hour session, you know you’re onto something powerful.

What We’ve Learned After 20 Years  

The most important lesson:   transformation happens in relationships, not in programs.   All the workshops, policies, and initiatives in the world mean nothing if people don’t actually know and care about each other as individuals.

We’ve learned that children are often the wisest voices in the room, asking questions adults are afraid to voice. We’ve learned that food really does make everything better. There's something about sharing a meal that breaks down barriers faster than any icebreaker activity.

We’ve learned that the people who are most afraid to come to these conversations are often the ones who need them most     and who contribute the most once they feel safe to share their authentic experiences.

Measuring Success Differently  

Twenty years in, we don’t measure our success in traditional ways. We don’t count policy changes or budget increases (though those have happened). We measure success in stories:

•     The police officer and community activist who became best friends and co   founded a youth mentorship program

•     The refugee family and their neighbors who now celebrate holidays together

•     The high school students who started their own peer mediation program

•     The city council members who changed their meeting format to include more community voice

•     The dozens of cross   cultural friendships that began at our table and continue today

Looking Forward: The Next 20 Years  

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re not looking backward but forward. What will the community look like in 2045? What conversations do we need to be having now to create the beloved community our children deserve?

We know the challenges ahead are significant: climate change, economic inequality, political polarization, technological disruption. But we also know that communities with strong social fabric     places where people know and trust each other across differences     are more resilient, more creative, and more joyful places to live.

Your Invitation to Make History  

On October 14th, we’re not just celebrating 20 years of Conversations on Race. We’re launching the next 20 years of community building. This isn’t a nostalgic look backward, it's a strategic investment in our collective future.

Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or this is your first time hearing our story, you belong at this table. Your voice, your experience, your questions, your hopes for our community     they all matter.

Because here’s what we’ve learned after two decades of this work: the beloved community isn’t a destination we’re trying to reach. It’s something we create together, one conversation at a time, one relationship at a time, one shared meal at a time.

The next chapter of our story starts with you.               

 Create CommUNITY has been dismantling racism through systemic change since 2003.