By Two hundred and seventy-five public events in thirty-nine states took place for the National Day of Racial Healing 2024. The commitment to racial healing and equity continues to grow – here’s a few ways how.
Special Events
On NBC News NOW, WKKF sponsored an evening of compelling conversations to inspire relationship building and ignite change. Watch the full special event here:
On Telemundo, hosts Johana Suárez and Lori Montenegro moderated the Foro Contra El Racismo, with candid discussions and stories about issues of race within Latinx communities, as well as opportunities to address the persisting barriers to a more equitable society.
Media Appearances
On TODAY, NBC’s Laura Jarrett reported on Monica Haslip’s impactful work through Little Black Pearl, a Chicago organization connecting youth with art, business entrepreneurship and racial healing. Watch the coverage here.
Yahoo! News shared a feature from KCRA with Dr. Alandra Washington, WKKF vice president for transformation and organizational effectiveness, discussing the National Day of Racial Healing and its impact over the past eight years. For racial healing to become a reality, Washington reflected, requires space for vulnerability, honest communication, and action within communities “to ensure all children have an equitable future.”
THE CHAT on Texas’ news channel KFDA invited Washington to join its hosts in the run-up to the National Day of Racial Healing. “We don’t just want truth-telling to happen; we want to inspire collective action,” Washington noted. “This work is a key essential element to racial equity and transforming systems.”
Notable Events
Rutgers University-Camden hosted lawyer and activist Jeffery Robinson, the CEO and founder of “The Who We Are Project,” a nonprofit organization that exposes and promotes the historical truths of anti-Black racism in the United States while working to drive education, discourse, healing and change. “If you confront people with the facts,” Robinson explained, “there’s no place else to go. That is the power of factual truth – it can change a person, it can change a community, and it can change a country.”
At SUNY Plattsburgh, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department hosted a celebration of the day with a series of lectures and keynotes, ranging from “Deconstructing Racial Narratives through Storytelling” to “Finding Common Ground” and “Eliminating Implicit Bias and Strengthening Principled Policing.” One attendee, Rev. Nicoline Guerrier from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Plattsburgh, noted, “Racial healing was something that was not won 50, 60, 70 years ago, and we’re good to go. In fact, many people say the challenges are just as present now than ever.”
Social Media
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials officially recognized the day with a call to all staff to “promote racial healing and transformation in the ways that are best suited for them individually, as a means to working together to ensure the best quality of life for every child.”
On their Instagram, the Alaska Children’s Trust invited their thousand-plus followers to join in the day virtually, with links to a children’s book list and a writeup on the racial gap in health outcomes in Alaska. They concluded, “Creating safe and happy futures for Alaska’s children means confronting racism, learning about history, and healing together.”
Conversation Guide
No matter what day it is, it’s always the right time to participate in the racial healing work that serves as the foundation for racial equity. Download the conversation guide and join us at EveryChildThrives.com for resources year-round.
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