We’re getting an update from a new report highlighting the work of the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) effort in four Michigan communities: Battle Creek, Flint, Lansing and Kalamazoo.

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

CMF continues to serve primarily as a convener for the four Michigan sites, while the work of several of the sites are led or supported by their local community foundations.

We’re highlighting some of the year two implementation activities of the four communities within TRHT’s five pillars: Narrative Change, Racial Healing, Separation, Law and Economy.

Narrative Change

• In Flint, the Sloan Museum presented the exhibit Race Are We So Different, funded in part by the Ruth Mott Foundation to stimulate public dialogue about race, racial healing and more.

  • Lesson learned: The exhibit brought new audiences to the museum and engaged museum staff in sensitive conversations. As a result of the exhibit, the Sloan Museum plans to prioritize such community conversations and apply a racial equity lens to future programming.

• In Kalamazoo, a TRHT course was available for Western Michigan University students to educate them about the concepts and national movement.

  • Lesson learned: There is a demand for such education at the university level.

Racial Healing

• All four sites organized racial healing design teams and planned activities for their communities for the 2019 National Day of Racial Healing.

• In Battle Creek, the site hosted activities that provided engagement of underrepresented groups at several events including a youth summit and community conversations for racial healing with the Burma Center, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, New Level Sports, the Urban League and Voces.

  • Lesson learned: This event confirmed the need for continued community conversations around racial healing, with an emphasis on the nuances of cultural and linguistic context. Work will continue with community partners to organize these conversations.

Separation

• In Lansing, their design team is focusing on activities designed to help elementary and high school students think critically about the impact of segregation and how to address it. The site partnered with a hip-hop group and a hip-hop academy to host concerts in three school districts to promote messages of unity and diversity. Teachers were provided materials for continued discussion with their students.

  • Lesson learned: There was some negative feedback from parents about a song that celebrated immigrants and the teaching of diversity and unity. The superintendent recognized the negative parental feedback as an indicator of the urgent need to continue offering racial equity and healing programming.

Law

• In Kalamazoo, the design team is working to educate key stakeholders on the history of inequities in the local immigration and criminal justice system and promote systemic change.

• In Lansing, the goal of the team is to achieve a 20 percent decrease in criminal justice system involvement among Black youth ages 17-24 by 2022. The Ingham County prosecutor committed to carrying out a racial equity assessment and action plan for her office. So far about 30 assistant prosecutors have participated in sessions, workshops and tests around structural racism and implicit bias.

  • Lesson learned: This partnership could lead to the development of tools for other prosecutor’s offices.

TRHT is a five-year effort that will continue to build momentum in year three with more action and sustainability plans taking shape in our Michigan communities.

For instance, in Lansing, the site plans to develop a racial healing strategy for city departments.

This year at CMF’s Annual Conference, taking place October 6-8 in Traverse City, you will have a chance to learn more about this work in action during a breakout session hosted by the TRHT site leads. CMF is also offering a special opportunity for participants to engage in a racial healing circle. Pre-registration for the circle will be available when conference registration goes live July 8^th.

Want more?

Learn more about TRHT.

Connect with TRHT Kalamazoo, TRHT Lansing, TRHT Flint or TRHT Battle Creek.