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National Day of Racial Healing

“Stories that Unite Us” is the theme of a community event on Tuesday, January 17, as a part of the National Day of Racial Healing inspired by W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Initiative (TRHT). See the video of ISAAC Executive Director Dr. Charlae Davis and Lanna Lewis from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation describing it on the Lori Moore Show.

The event, free and open to the public, is from 5:30 to 8 pm at the Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall. It includes heavy appetizers, an introduction to TRHT and previews of the documentary series “America Divided” along with opportunities to interact and reflect. There will also be a review of the recommendations put forth at the TRHT summit hosted by W.K. Kellogg Foundation in December, which resulted in the National Day of Healing, as well as opportunities to get involved locally.

“This will be a day to heal the wounds created by racial, ethnic and religious bias,” says ISAAC Executive Director Charlae Davis. “We hope this day helps us build an equitable and just society so all children can thrive. TRHT provides a collective commitment and long-term determination to embrace a new narrative for the nation – and individual communities – in a belief in our common humanity.” The documentary features narratives around inequality in education, housing, criminal justice and political systems, as well as stories on immigration, labor, and the Flint water crisis.

RSVP at storiesunite.eventbrite.com or call Lanna Lewis at (269) 381-4416.

According to Lanna Lewis, community investment manager at Kalamazoo Community Foundation, “We’ll be showing segments in a film festival format, with opportunities to interact, discuss, and reflect, as well as build relationships with community members.”

Area partners planning this event include ISAAC (Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community), SHARE (Society for History and Racial Equity), Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan, Black Arts & Cultural Center, ERACCE (Eliminating Racism & Creating/Celebrating Equity), Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center/Welcoming Michigan and Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

More than 130 organizations nationwide are involved in TRHT.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron says, “As a nation, we must come to terms with the deep divides in our communities. Our nation is crying out for healing, which can only come with a shared understanding of our collective past and a sustained effort to dismantle the structures, policies, practices and systems that divide us, and perpetuate conscious and unconscious bias.”

Learn more about “America Divided” at https://americadividedseries.com

– Press Release from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation