How five colleges are celebrating National Racial Healing Day

Over the past two decades, higher education has become more diverse, enrolling students from all backgrounds and providing educational and career development opportunities to previously underserved populations.

This diversity of students, staff and faculty in higher education also provides opportunities for institutions to promote racial justice and healing through intentional education and programs. Another annual symbol of this work is the National Day of Racial Healing.

Background: The National Day of Racial Healing was established by the WK Kellogg Foundation in 2017 as part of the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) program to bring people together and inspire action to build a just and equitable world.

The day is the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day is also marked by events and activities that promote racial healing. Racial healing, as defined by the foundation, is “an experience shared by people when they speak openly and hear the truth about past wrongs and negative impacts caused by individual and systemic racism,” according to the effort’s website.

On campus: The American Association of Colleges and Universities encourages institutions to “engage in activities, events or strategies that promote healing and encourage engagement in issues of racism, bias, inequality and injustice in our society,” according to a statement dated Dec. 18. AAC&U has partnered with 72 institutions to establish TRHT Campus Centers, with the goal of developing 150 integrated community centers that are self-sustaining.

Other ways that institutions can do this is by planning activities, inviting teachers to connect lesson materials and racial healing that week, coordinating events or sharing stories on social media, according to AAC&U.

Here’s how colleges and universities, many of which operate TRHT Campus Centers, are planning to honor National Day of Racial Healing.

• Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio will host two Jacket Circles for students to engage in storytelling and deep listening to build empathy and compassion. The University of Louisville, likewise, will host Cardinal Connection Circles.
• Emory University in Georgia will host a three-day event, starting Jan. 21, which includes a keynote address, a lunch panel discussion and reading, ethnic healing gatherings, and a dinner experience.
• Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York system, will host its first National Ethnic Healing Day this year, featuring healing gatherings, panel discussions and arts-based programs.
• The TRHT Center at Northern Virginia Community College will work with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to issue an official announcement at a public forum, acknowledging the day’s significance, a bipartisan tradition.
• The University of Hawaii at Mānoa will take a break today to commemorate the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and National Day of Racial Healing. event, Hawai’i ku’u home aloha“Hawai’i is my beloved home,” honoring the past, present and future of the islands.

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