Conversation Cafés: Healing and Unity in the Aftermath of 9/11

The tragedy of 9/11 left the world grappling with intense emotions of grief, fear, and anger, creating a deep need for connection and understanding. As people struggled to process the overwhelming loss and division, open conversations became vital for healing. Conversation Cafés provided a safe space for individuals to voice their emotions, bridge divides, and foster empathy during this period of crisis. These dialogues helped communities come together, promoting shared humanity and a sense of unity in the face of collective trauma.

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Recognition of Emotion and Importance of 9/11 Events
The events of September 11, 2001, sent shockwaves of grief, fear, and confusion across the world. The emotional devastation was deeply felt, with almost 3,000 lives lost in a single day. As individuals struggled to process their emotions and the enormity of the tragedy, the importance of creating spaces for connection, empathy, and conversation became clear. During this period of intense vulnerability and upheaval, efforts to foster dialogue became invaluable for healing communities and promoting understanding. The Conversation Café movement, though conceived just before the attacks, quickly became a vital tool for helping people navigate the complexities of 9/11's aftermath.

Conversation Café: How It Started and Its Role After 9/11
In the summer of 2001, three friends in Seattle—Susan Partnow, Habib Rose, and Vicki Robin—decided to experiment with public dialogue. They believed that more open, spontaneous conversations could strengthen democracy, critical thinking, and the bonds of community. Each of them sat at a different café once a week and invited friends, neighbors, and strangers to participate in meaningful discussions about topics that truly mattered. This was the birth of the Conversation Café method.

At the end of that summer, on September 10, 2001, the three friends met to plan how they could expand this concept in Seattle. The very next day, the tragic events of 9/11 made it evident that the Conversation Café method could help people from all walks of life process the emotional impact. The cafés became spaces where diverse groups could come together to grieve, share, and heal.

From its beginnings in Seattle, Conversation Cafés quickly spread across the country and beyond. They were soon established in cities like Toronto, St. Louis, and Tucson, eventually reaching 70 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. With the support of the New Road Map Foundation and additional funding from the Foundation for Global Community and Bob and Jacquelyn Pogue’s foundation, Susan and Vicki built a dedicated team to expand and maintain the growing network of cafés.

In addition to facilitating ongoing conversations, the team invented “Conversation Week,” an annual event where all participating cafés across the world would discuss the same topic. This allowed for a shared global understanding of the pressing issues of the time. The Conversation Café method was also applied to bridge political divides in the U.S., particularly through the “red-blue divide” project called Let’s Talk America. Conversation Cafés became a feature at major events such as the Bioneers Conference, Green Festivals, and even reached institutions like the British Parliament and PBS.

Eight years after the project’s inception, Susan and Vicki recognized that the time had come for new leadership. They transferred the stewardship of Conversation Cafés to Bob and Jacquelyn Pogue, who had been instrumental in supporting the movement. Jacquelyn, one of the most passionate Conversation Café hosts, was eager to not only continue the original mission but to integrate deeper dialogue techniques and promote community action through her work in Richmond, Virginia. Under the Pogues’ stewardship, the Conversation Café model continued to thrive, and the Richmond Action Dialogues became a prominent feature of their work. The vision and legacy of Susan, Vicki, and Jacquelyn now guide ongoing efforts to expand the Conversation Café movement and support new hosts in communities around the world. In 2015, the Conversation Café method was transferred to new leadership and is now stewarded by the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation.

The Conversation Café method remains a lasting reminder of the power of dialogue, especially in times of crisis, and its ability to bring people together to heal, think critically, and build a sense of global neighborliness. Stay tuned for an important update on Conversation Cafes next Wednesday, September 18th.

Materials for Hosting a Café: www.ncdd.org/cc_host_materials.html

NCDD offers free, printable materials to support hosting Conversation Cafés. These include wallet cards summarizing the process and agreements, a host checklist for event planning, flyers and posters for promotion, and table cards for displaying the café process. Some materials are available in multiple languages, and there is an adaptation of the Conversation Café method specifically designed for youth, with handouts explaining participant roles and the process.

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