National Day of Racial Healing
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
To mark the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, AAC&U calls on colleges and universities across the country to engage in activities, events, or strategies that promote healing and foster engagement around the issues of racism, bias, inequity, and injustice in our society. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has created a NDORH digital toolkit that includes promotional resources and programming ideas that may be useful when planning campus and community events. This day provides an opportunity for people and organizations to come together in their common humanity and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world.
In partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) effort—a national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change, and to address the historical and contemporary effects of racism, AAC&U works with higher education institutions across the country to develop self-sustaining, community-integrated TRHT Campus Centers. Organized around the five pillars of the TRHT framework—narrative change, racial healing and relationship building, separation, law, and economy—the centers seek to prepare the next generation of leaders to address racism and dismantle the false belief in a hierarchy of human value.
Rx Racial Healing Circles
The TRHT framework, while informed by the well-recognized Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRH) model, is a unique process designed to reflect, embrace, and address the unprecedented diversity and unparalleled racialized history of the United States. Racial healing circles are a key strategy to connect people from a wide variety of backgrounds through story sharing and deep listening. In this video, learn more about the design and practice of racial healing circles from Dr. Gail Christopher, the visionary and architect of the TRHT Framework, as well as leaders and racial healing circle co-facilitators from current TRHT Campus Centers.
At a time when many campus leaders are experiencing moral distress from attempts to curtail academic freedom and to silence those dedicated to truth-telling, sharing strategies and promising practices from the lessons learned from the first five years of the TRHT Campus Center network hold the potential to promote both moral courage and moral resilience. Together, we can find the strength not only to persist, but also to thrive, as we shape a new landscape for the future—one grounded in the transformative power of racial healing.
2025 NDORH Events at Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers
Each year in recognition of the National Day of Racial Healing, TRHT Campus Centers across the country promote racial healing on their campuses and in their surrounding communities with events and activities unique to their institution's mission, context, and TRHT Campus Center vision. Discover how some of AAC&U's TRHT Campus Centers will honor the ninth annual National Day of Racial Healing on January 21 and beyond.
On January 21, 2025, the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion at Agnes Scott College will host the National Day of Racial Healing Keynote: Bending the Moral Arc of the Universe with Attorney Gerald Griggs from 1:00 to 1:50 p.m. in Julia Smith Chapel. Featuring performances by the Agnes Scott College Choir and student participants, this event will explore the intersections of resistance, hope, and education. Attorney Griggs will challenge attendees to reflect on their roles in advancing justice and equip them with tools to overcome systemic barriers.
Join the Alamo Colleges District's Arts, Culture, and Community Impact team for our 4th Annual National Day of Collective Healing, featuring Tony and Grammy Award-winning vocalist, actor, and songwriter Leslie Odom, Jr.!
This special event will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Carver Community Cultural Center, celebrating the solidarity and vibrancy of our city.
This year’s theme, “The Rhythm of Our Common Humanity,” highlights the rich diversity of our communities through musical performances, spoken word, and engaging discussions that underscore our shared connections and collective humanity. While tickets are free, they are limited to the first 500 attendees. The first 100 ticketed attendees to arrive at the venue will receive a special gift from the Arts, Culture, and Community Impact team to commemorate the event. Secure your ticket by visiting Eventbrite.
2025 TRHT Week: I Made It! Starting January 21 through January 24, 2025.
The BW TRHT Campus Center is hosting two healing circles themed after the "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" book written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Learn more.
Dominican University will host Jane Elliott for an in-person-only lecture and discussion at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Before the lecture, we invite you to participate in Rx Racial Healing Circles from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. with virtual and in-person options. These circles aim to help us reflect on our shared values and create a blueprint for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. The week prior, we will be screening "Eye of the Storm." Four screenings will last 30 minutes on January 15 and January 16 at 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on both days. Register to attend.
Cultivating a Healing Mindset: Bridging Divides and Building Community Join the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation™ (TRHT) Initiative at Emory University for the 9th Annual National Day of Racial Healing, January 21–23, 2025. This three-day event fosters healing, unity, and community building through insightful discussions and transformative experiences. Highlights include welcome remarks from Dr. Gail Christopher, architect of the TRHT framework, a Lunch & Learn panel discussion of TRHT community partners, a racial healing circle hosted by the Emory Black Employee Network, and the Thriving Together Atlanta Equitable Dinner at Oxford College. Rooted in Emory’s mission “to serve humanity,” the events explore healing-centered approaches to bridging divides and creating inclusive spaces for all. The National Day of Racial Healing, launched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, promotes shared humanity and sustainable change to address the legacy of oppression in the U.S. Register to attend.
The Healing Power of Art is very beneficial as we confront issues and educate on the topics around the personal hurt and pain of racism. We will provide our campus community with an opportunity to eat and greet, bring to light the pain, and use our racial healing circles to provide a calming reflection moment to our bodies and minds. Participants can join in our moment of comfort together as they add to our “The Power of Expression” mural. This event will be on January 21, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Hope College will celebrate the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance and the National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) with a series of events, beginning on January 15 with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Lecture, followed by an Educational Leadership Summit, a Racial Healing Circle (please register), and a screening of the documentary film “T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold,” followed by a panel discussion with producer Sue Jaye Johnson. The screening is free and open to the public. The Kruizenga Art Museum will present the Prism Focus Exhibition with eight artworks selected by members of Hope College’s student organization, PRISM (the museum is free and open to the public). Learn more. Register to attend.
The MCC TRHT center's National Day of Racial Healing event will feature performances from our Music Club and a spoken word artist, followed by a panel discussion on racial healing and collective responsibility. The event will conclude with an interactive activity encouraging participants to reflect on actionable steps they can take toward fostering a more equitable community.
The MCC Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging and the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation™, invite you to our National Day of Racial Healing Event. This event will feature performances from our Music Club, followed by a panel discussion on racial healing and collective responsibility. The event will conclude with an interactive activity encouraging participants to reflect on actionable steps they can take toward fostering a more equitable community. This will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Cowan Center Café, 33 Kearney Square, Lowell, MA. Register to attend.
North Hennepin Community College is excited to welcome Dr. Tameka Ellington for a virtual, 1-hour keynote for the National Day of Racial Healing. Dr. Ellington will explore Colorism and Texturism: Healing Beyond Societal Beauty Standards. Learn more.
NOVA's TRHT Center will partner with the Board of Supervisors from Fairfax County for a formal proclamation acknowledging the importance of the National Day of Racial Healing. The acknowledgment will include remarks from Fairfax Country's Board of Supervisors, including representatives from the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and representatives from NOVA's TRHT Center. The event is open to the public and will serve as a way for us to continue our partnership. Please note that no external links are available for this event.
Nourish your mind and spirit with this free meal and interactive community presentation designed to get to “The Heart of Racial Equity” through art, performance, and conversation. Learn more.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy calls us to create the Beloved Community—a world where justice, love, and healing are at the center of our shared existence. As we continue the journey toward realizing this vision, spaces for authentic connection and compassionate listening are more critical than ever. Join our virtual Community Building Circle on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. PST, where we will honor Dr. King’s vision by fostering empathy, mutual respect, and the transformative power of collective healing. Together, we can find strength within ourselves and others, moving closer to the Beloved Community we strive for. Register to attend.
In coordination with All-In Cincinnati, the UC Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation™ invites you to celebrate the National Day of Racial Healing on January 21, 2025, at the Urban League's Holloman Center for Social Justice. Join us for an evening of impactful discussion that reinforces our common humanity and points towards transformative next steps, particularly in our policy focus areas of equity in housing and economic opportunity across the Cincinnati Area. Learn more.
Hawai’i Kuu Home Aloha: “Hawaii my beloved home” is our annual event that brings people together to explore the place that we call home together. We build relationships across divides, learn about historical events that shape all of us, and imagine the future we want for our children and grandchildren. Learn more.
We will have a Unity Walk that will conclude with our weekly Chapel service. Learn more.
Rx Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity
Written by Dr. Gail C. Christopher
Published by AAC&U on the sixth annual National Day of Racial Healing in 2022, Rx Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity by Dr. Gail C. Christopher is an excellent resource for institutions interested in exploring the Rx Racial Healing approach for transformational change in colleges, organizations, and communities as well as institutions seeking to deepen their racial healing circle practice.