Film Screening of ‘Origin’ and Dialogue Mixer

On February 18, 2025, 100 students from Colorado’s Front Range high schools, ranging from Ft. Morgan to Denver, along with 12 CU Boulder and community facilitators, came together at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder to watch the powerful and thought-provoking film Origin by Ava DuVernay and engage in a Dialogue Mixer. The film is inspired by the groundbreaking work of Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, and “draws a compelling line between India's caste system, the hierarchies of Nazi Germany, and the historic subjugation of Black people in the United States” (Mosley, 2024, p. 1).

Through intimate storytelling and historical grounding, Origin challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about power and oppression while encouraging reflection on our own roles in shaping a more equitable society. This compelling film serves as a call to action, urging us to embrace new concepts and constructs as we reimagine a more equitable future in our ongoing conversations about race and power (Mosely, 2024).

CU Dialogues facilitators introduced students to dialogue—not just as a skill, but as a tool for building bridges across differences and imagining a more inclusive and just world. Dialogue is distinct from other forms of conversation, such as debate or discussion, in that its primary purpose is not to persuade or win an argument but to create a space where diverse perspectives can be shared, heard, and understood. This requires participants to engage actively, practicing skills such as active listening, asking questions of curiosity, and reflecting critically on their own assumptions and experiences. Through this process, dialogue encourages participants to move beyond surface-level exchanges and explore the complexities of social identities, power dynamics, and shared and divergent values.

The Dialogue Mixer that followed the film screening had students from across schools engaging in dialogue in small groups led by a trained Dialogues Facilitator. In their groups, students were asked to reflect upon their own social identities and perspectives, and the ways in which they have experienced or witnessed themselves or others defying caste. This created space to exchange diverse perspectives/experiences, practice radical listening, foster a sense of community, and inspire actionable change.

Thank you to our event co-sponsors: Dairy Arts Center, Leadership Support and Programming, Finance and Business Strategy, Office of Information Technology, Office of Precollege Outreach and Engagement, Denver Public Schools, Adams County School District 14, and the Morgan County School District.