‘The most-needed reforms in our communities and nations require levels of political courage and trust-based collaboration that can only be achieved by individuals who have the vision, integrity, and persistence to call out the best in others and sustain deep and long-term efforts,’ said Rob Corcoran. He was speaking at the Caux conference centre in Switzerland, launching his new book on Trustbuilding.

Corcoran is the national director of Initiatives of Change in the USA and founder of Hope in the Cities. He continued, ‘Without trust, true collaboration is unattainable. Without trust, we can’t get to real reform. Without trust – particularly trust across racial, cultural, or religious divides – it will be virtually impossible to generate the will to tackle the daunting challenges facing our communities, nations and world. This is the thesis of my book, Trustbuilding.’

‘Trustbuilding: an honest conversation on race, reconciliation, and responsibility’, published by University of Virginia Press, is part historical narrative and part handbook for a model of dialogue and community change. At its centre is the story of how Richmond, Virginia, a former slave market and capital of the Confederacy, has become a seedbed for interracial dialogue and trustbuilding with national and international implications. ‘Where does trust need to be built in your community? Where has trust broken down?’ Corcoran asked. He went on, ‘What history has not been acknowledged in your community? Whose voice has not been heard? What are the unhealed wounds?’ The Richmond-based programme of Hope in the Cities, rooted in Initiatives of Change, has tried to answer such questions over nearly two decades, he said. Reconciliation is an achievable goal, and personal responsibility is a means of achieving that goal, he concluded.

In 1993, Richmond, this conservative southern city, caught the attention of the United States with a public acknowledgment of its painful history and a call for ‘an honest conversation on race, reconciliation, and responsibility’. People of all backgrounds launched an unprecedented and sustained effort to address the ‘toxic issue of race’. Known as Hope in the Cities, this endeavour is now in its second decade of work. Rob Corcoran has facilitated dialogue, reconciliation and partnerships among diverse and polarized racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Europe, South Africa, India, Australia and the U.S. for over thirty years.

Picture below: Particpants discussing the questions Corcoran asked during his seminar.