The last few weeks have been trying in our country. Protests and demonstrations across America are calling for lasting change to end deep divisions of injustice and racism still plaguing our society.

That’s the topic of WANE 15’s latest “A House Divided” civil conversation. It’s a partnership with Advancing Voices of Women, or AVOW.

Throughout the year, six of the 12 panelists will rotate sitting down with WANE 15’s Alyssa Ivanson for a discussion on various topics. This week, Republicans Nicole and Diane, Democrats Roxanna and Harini and Independents Dara and Emily met with Alyssa via Zoom to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, how it’s manifested in Fort Wayne and what needs to happen to heal our nation.

Meet all 12 panelists here.

Watch the entire conversation, edited only into the separate questions, in the videos below. The first video at the top of this story is the panelists’ reactions to seeing protests in Fort Wayne turn violent and destructive.

Question: Do you think these Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations will result in actual, lasting change?

Question: What do you want to see from our elected officials? How do you see politics playing a role?

Question: What is the role of the community at large?

Question: What were your thoughts when you saw artists painting the boards on damaged businesses in downtown Fort Wayne one week after they were vandalized during protests?

Question: What is the solution to stopping the systemic racism we still see in this country?

Related: Watch the “A House Divided” conversation on the Coronavirus pandemic