South Freeport Congregational Church. Kristian Moravec / The Times Record

A discussion group focused on racism is expanding its conversation circles into South Freeport Church.

The interfaith program, Sacred Ground, is working to establish its first discussion program at the church this fall. The program, which mainly runs out of a variety of Brunswick-area churches, introduces the complexities of America’s racial history to participants and reflects on how it plays into modern-day settings.

The program, which has been running nationwide since 2019 through the Episcopal Church, runs discussion groups known as “circles” that facilitate dialogue around race. Each circle session uses materials like film and text to explore the history of marginalized groups, such as Black, Asian and Indigenous people.

Upon completing one discussion group two years ago, Julia Lockwood, a member of the South Freeport Church, decided to volunteer to become a facilitator for the program. This year, she hopes to bring the material to a new crowd in Freeport.

“It’s very important material, I think I got a lot out of it as a participant,” said Lockwood, who added that the program goes deeper than just talking about racism. “It’s ‘let’s look at how it happened, why it happened and where does it place us.’ ”

The program’s local expansion moves against a broader tide of reduced diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives just four years after the death of George Floyd. Floyd’s murder at the hands of police sparked outrage and prompted many organizations, ranging from churches to corporations, to reassess how it approached topics such as race and racism.

Not only did the program start prior to this nationwide reckoning, but Andrea Lauerman, the Sacred Ground program coordinator for the Brunswick area, said interest in the program has been consistent since it started in Brunswick. She noted that one reason people are able to continuously participate in the circles is because the program is free.

She also said that the discussion circles help provide a broader lens on different experiences and how local communities exist within these frameworks in the present day. The goal, she said, is to help people notice what has been here all along.

“There are a lot of issues in our communities that are affected by race and racism in ways that a lot of us are just not aware of depending on how we’ve grown up,” Lauerman said. “And one of the things that our participants at Sacred Ground say over and over again is ‘I just never knew any of this, no one ever told me any of this.’ ”

Everyone and anyone is welcome to sign up for the circles, Lauerman said. The program has had people with a wide array of ages, races and ethnic backgrounds participate, though a majority of participants tend to be white and retired, she noted. Fortunately, there are guidelines in place to make it a welcoming space for everyone.

“We try to be really careful about how we construct those spaces, to make sure that we’re not creating a situation where there are one or two people of color in a group and they feel like they have to be the teacher of all the white people, which I think can definitely happen if that dynamic is not kind of known and named,” she said.

Jane Danielson, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, had also participated in a discussion group a few years ago and was so moved by the experience that she, like Lockwood, decided to become a facilitator. This year, she is helping groups plan for the discussion circles.

“There’s a lot of American history that none of us learned, and this program reveals a lot of what we never learned,” Danielson said.

She also said that the discussions can often hit close to home, with participants learning about experiences unfamiliar to them, but possibly applicable to a loved one or friend. The revealing nature of the program, she said, leaves participants with a better outlook on society, describing it as an “entrée to less animosity.”

“I hope that more and more communities and groups can experience this program,” she said.

Those interested in learning more about the circles can visit the Sacred Ground website at stpaulsmaine.org/learning-sacred-ground-new.