On March 18th, 2023, Martin and Raminyah attended the annual gala of No Racism in Schools. During the event, Martin introduced Raminyah to Lisa, the then-chairperson of the Las Vegas, NV chapter of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). As their conversation unfolded, Lisa mentioned the need for more impactful initiatives. Seizing the moment, Raminyah suggested leveraging the universal appeal of games to facilitate challenging conversations between African Americans and white individuals. She noted that every culture has its unique twist on playing the same game, and much could be learned about a person through such interactions.

About a month later, inspired by Raminyah's idea, Lisa reached out to Martin to revisit the concept. They, along with Raminyah, engaged in a series of three-way phone calls to flush out what such an event might look like.

As the planning progressed, Lisa and Raminyah had several more discussions. Martin took charge of the logistics, organizing roundtable discussions and setting the stage for the event. SURJ sponsored the venue and refreshments, while Raminyah’s vision shaped the event’s atmosphere and activities.