The State Bar of Michigan recently invited lawyers from around the state to participate in racial healing circles as part of the Michigan Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) initiative facilitated by CMF and supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF).

The TRHT framework developed by WKKF is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

WKKF explains the racial healing process as composed of three parts: listening; becoming open to one another’s perspectives and experiences; and allowing yourself to be impacted and/or be transformed by the experience.

“We say that the racial healing circle is an experience which, through the sharing of personal stories and the practice of deep listening, we begin to build the empathy and trust necessary to engage in the hard work of eradicating racism in our society,” said Mee Moua, consultant to WKKF.

CMF is supporting the Michigan TRHT effort currently underway in Battle Creek, Flint, Kalamazoo and Lansing through a $4.2 million grant from WKKF. 

Several of those who are leading the work in the Michigan TRHT communities served as healing circle facilitators for the Affinity Bar Summit.

With support from the Michigan State Bar Foundation, a CMF member, the State Bar invited about 45 lawyers to participate in racial healing circles and visioning activities directly aligned with the law component of the TRHT framework: “Reviewing discriminatory civil and criminal laws and the public policies that come from them and recommending solutions that will produce a just application of the law.”

“One of the transformation pillars of TRHT is the law,” said Alisa Parker, who serves on the TRHT Statewide Advisory Council, is a member of the Kalamazoo TRHT leadership team and on the TRHT law design team. Parker is also managing attorney of the Calhoun, Branch and Barry division of Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM), which provides free legal advice and representation to low-income individuals, families and older adults.

“Although this pillar encompasses the entire system of law in this country, the State Bar is a key stakeholder. It was important to engage this stakeholder group as it relates to input on how the work of TRHT and the law is shaped and designed not just in the four Michigan TRHT communities but across the state as a whole,” commented Parker.

Gregory Conyers, director of diversity at the State Bar, organized the event to connect lawyers in the state with the TRHT framework.

“Our real goal beyond the macro goal is to ensure the State Bar is a key player in the entire statewide process so that we can be certain to have lawyers feed into the process, talk about solutions from the ground and use those opportunities to feed out the learning to our members,” Conyers said. “With this kind of work in particular, we can take what happens and talk about these experiences to move the work forward in improving diversity in the profession and access to justice for underrepresented groups.”

Racial healing circles were facilitated by healing practitioners, several of whom who were trained in May at the Michigan TRHT Learning Community event hosted by CMF.

“The need for racial healing among legal practitioners is real,” Parker said. “We often don't take time to have these kinds of conversations but that is how we connect our humanity to the work that can result in real impact for our clients and communities.”

Parker told CMF that the circles allowed for lawyers to engage in a new way.

“From the circle I participated in, it opened up conversation and gave new insights into how we could use our personal platforms to really disrupt structural racism,” Parker said. “I also made new connections with fellow lawyers that I had not known but walked away feeling like we could work together in new ways.”

“For me this was a natural progression in terms of building up a toolkit to have these conversations in a meaningful way, to build bridges of communication among different people,” Conyers said. “I think you have to have that to avoid some of the barriers we know exist.”

At the Affinity Bar Summit, lawyers also engaged in a deep discussion and visioning process about the State Bar’s future involvement in TRHT.

Parker said they would like to consider how they can do more racial healing practice as well as education and intentional training on issues of racial equity and inclusion.

CMF has hosted racial healing circles for CMF staff and board trustees, as well as CMF members, including last year at our Annual Conference.

If you’re interested in participating in a circle or a TRHT activity, you can connect with a healing circle practitioner near you by contacting Laura Collier, CMF Program Coordinator, Learning Services.

There will be more events happening in TRHT communities, as well as statewide for the National Day of Racial Healing in January. CMF will share details on those events as they become available.

Want more?

Learn more about TRHT.