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National Day of Racial Healing

On Tuesday, January 17, communities across the state and the U.S. will come together for essential and timely conversations on racial healing, equity and justice for the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing.

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Image credit: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

On Tuesday, January 17, communities across the state and the U.S. will come together for essential and timely conversations on racial healing, equity and justice for the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH).

The annual day of recognition is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s (WKKF) Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) effort, a national, community-based process of transformative, sustainable change, addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

Michigan is home to four of the 14 TRHT collaborations in the country. The sites in Battle Creek, Flint, Kalamazoo and Lansing have been working deeply in TRHT efforts for several years, supported by CMF with funding from WKKF.

WKKF, in partnership with NBCUniversal News Group, recently launched a 14-part digital series, Changing the Narrative, that explores advancing racial equity through localized experiences of racial healing.

The digital series features episodes centered on four critical cities in the foundation’s TRHT work, including Battle Creek.

The episode highlights five women from Black, Burmese and Spanish-speaking communities in Battle Creek to discuss their work, participation in racial healing circles and their dreams for Battle Creek’s future. The digital series will culminate tomorrow night with a live MSNBC town hall from New Orleans at 10 p.m.

WKKF has provided an action kit to support philanthropy and various community groups and local leaders interested in holding conversations on racial healing and is sharing NDORH events throughout the country.

TRHT sites and communities across Michigan will also host their own NDORH events.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Metro Lansing: TRHT Metro Lansing is hosting a celebration tomorrow evening to highlight and invite community members into racial equity work in the community and the role of healing. The program portion will be livestreamed to Facebook. Learn more.

Detroit: New Detroit, a coalition of leaders working to achieve racial understanding and racial equity in Metropolitan Detroit, are hosting virtual town hall, “Racism as a Public Health Crisis.” Learn more.

Battle Creek: The Battle Creek Coalition for TRHT is hosting a free community dinner with music and dancing, plus author readings from Battle Creek TRHT's book, How We Heal: An Anthology of Personal Testimonies about Racial Healing in Battle Creek. Learn more.

Kalamazoo: Celebrate radical healing with TRHT Kalamazoo, hosted by Kalamazoo Community Foundation, at the Kalamazoo State Theatre. The programming will feature a panel of local thought leaders, live music and performances. Learn more.

Communities in Muskegon, Holland, Barry County and more throughout Michigan and the country will also be hosting NDORH events.

CMF staff will engage in the NDORH with dedicated individual time to join live stream events and explore racial equity resources. We will also participate in an all-staff internal conversation sharing reflections as we continue on our individual and organizational equity journeys. We invite you to share insights, learnings and resources from your own organizational journeys so we can highlight them for shared learning across our CMF community.

Want more?

Explore all virtual and in-person NDORH events in Michigan.

Watch WKKF’s digital series Changing the Narrative.

Learn more about the National Day of Racial Healing.

Learn more about Michigan’s TRHT sites.  

Stay tuned for the latest NDORH events and updates via #HowWeHeal on social.

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