Battle Creek to celebrate seventh National Day of Racial Healing with community events, conversations
The Battle Creek Coalition for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (BCTRHT) willhonor the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing with a series of local events Tuesday.
Launched in 2017, the National Day of Racial Healing serves as a call to action for racial healing for all people and originated as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s national truth, racial healing and transformation efforts.
"The National Day of Racial Healing will provide an opportunity for people, organizations andcommunities across the United States to call for racial healing, bring people together in their sharedhumanity, and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world," coalition officials said in a release. "BCTRHT’s aim is to serve as a catalyst for a racial equity movement in Battle Creek that transforms the way we live, work and interact as a community."
The coalition is partnering with several area organizations to host the following events on Tuesday:
Race to Heal Yard Sign Distribution at Willard Library, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Both branches of Willard Library will distribute free Race to Heal yard signs for Battle Creek residents and businesses to place in their lawns, signifying support for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation.
Lifting Our Voices for Equity (L.O.V.E.): Racial Healing Testimonies of Strength and Resilience Community Dinner at Burma Center, 5:30-8 p.m. — Join community members for free dinner, dessert, music, dancing, drumming and author readings from BCTRHT’s book published in 2022, "How We Heal: An Anthology of Personal Testimonies about Racial Healing in Battle Creek." A limited supply of books will be available for purchase at the event, and contributors to the book will be available for signing books. Community members can RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite.
"When we speak truth to power and bear witness to how others have navigated racism in this society, that's part of the process of racial healing," said Rosemary Linares, co-coordinator of BCTRHT. "As a process, racial healing is rooted in trust and relationship building."
The City of Battle Creek also will acknowledge the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing with the reading of a mayoral proclamation during its Tuesday City Commission meeting, slated for 7 p.m. inside City Hall, 10 N. Division St.
Additionally, an in-person and virtual Racial Healing Circle Series at First Congregational Church will begin Jan. 26. Over five sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays, community members can participate in racial healing circles facilitated by BCTRHT’s talented racial healing practitioners.
To allow for deep reflection and powerful insights, each circle is limited to 15 participants, according to the release. Pre-registration is required.
"Our L.O.V.E. dinner and racial healing series will provide free opportunities for any community member who is interested in learning about our community work and continuing their own individual racial healing journey," Linares said. "We hope participants will walk away from these events with more awareness about racial justice and the healing process, as well as new connections and friends — not to mention a full belly and a smile."
For more information about the Battle Creek Coalition for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, visit the BCTRHT Facebook Page or sign up for the group's mailing list.
For more information about the National Day of Racial Healing, visit W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Day of Racial Healing website.
Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek to celebrate seventh National Day of Racial Healing
