...and talk, we did

Wow.

More than 630 people showed up yesterday for the free screening of Carla Wilson's Iowa City-based documentary "Black American Gothic," and while I don't have the official head count yet, at least 75 people stayed after to talk.

I'll let you know more about their discussions after I debrief with group leaders (or, if you participated, let us know how it went!).

To be honest, I was pretty relieved the small-group thing worked at all. It was a lot more complicated to set up than a traditional panel, but my hope was that it was the best way to encourage real conversations about the issues of race, class and community values raised in the film -- much better than the standard Q&A, where only a couple audience members get to talk.

The fact that great community leaders (like Sue Freeman, of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Iowa City Human Rights Commission Coordinator Stefanie Bowers, Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program Executive Director Roger Lusala, University of Iowa Professor Frank Durham and Johnson County Social Services Community Projects Specialist LaTasha Massey) were willing to devote their time and energy to such an open-ended idea, and the fact that so many audience members stuck around (a friend remarked that while we were sorting into groups, I used the word "experiment" no fewer than three times) says a lot about the need for more honest conversation about Iowa City's shifting demographics.

So if you stayed -- thank you! If you want to keep talking, visit crossingborders.us.

And let me know if you'd be interested in future conversations like the ones we held yesterday and what issues you'd like to cover.

If enough people are game, why not continue this experiment?