About Us

Courageous Conversations Georgetown, Texas is an interracial, multicultural and multiethnic group of individuals from Georgetown. The group began meeting in February 2015 after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO., and following the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday observance.   

This group was created to be a space for civil and respectful discourse and collaborative solutions to issues of institutional and systemic racism in our community, especially in the areas of education, housing, economics and the justice system.

Ron Swain is the convener of Courageous Conversations GTX. He can be reached by emailing  ronlswain48 (AT).gmail.com.

A group of concerned citizens came together in the wake of the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 to work to prevent such a tragedy from happening in Georgetown, TX.

Since then, we have hosted anti-racism trainings, book and movie discussions and community forums with the intent to educate so we can move to thoughtful action.

Our mission is to promote a culture of justice and compassion in Georgetown for people of all races, and economic, religious and ethnic identities.

Our Vision:   

Our vision is for Georgetown to be a beloved community of compassion characterized by cross-cultural communication, collaboration, celebration and courage.  

Courageous Conversations GTX embraces the affirmations of belief written by Dr. King.

I refuse to believe that we are unable to influence the events around us.

I refuse to believe we are bound by racism, war, and injustice.

I believe those around me are my brother and my sister.

I believe in dignity every day and that our brokenness can be healed.

I believe we can overcome oppression and violence, without resorting to it.

This means I seek to reject revenge and retaliation.

I remember, “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's philosophy of nonviolence are described in his book, Strive Toward Freedom. 

• PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
• PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
• PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
• PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
• PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
• PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.e.

 Dr. King wrote a sequentioal process for peaceful conflict resolution in his Letter from Birmingham Jail.

1. Information Gathering – The way you determine the facts, the option for change, and the timing of pressure for raising the issue is a collective process.

2. Education – The process for developing articulate leaders, who are knowledgeable about the issues. It is directed toward the community through all forms of media about the real issues and human consequences of an unjust situation.

3. Personal Commitment – Means looking at your internal and external involvement in the nonviolent campaign and preparing yourself for long-term as well as short-term action.

4. Negotiation – Is the art of bringing together your views and those of your opponent to arrive at a just conclusion or clarify the unresolved issues, at which point, the conflict is formalized.

5. Direct Action – Occurs when negotiations have broken down or failed to produce a just response to the contested issues and conditions.

6. Reconciliation – Is the mandatory closing step of a campaign, when the opponents and proponents celebrate the victory and provide joint leadership to implement change.