By Azhley Rodriguez
Dominican and River Forest leaders may have opened Dominican’s National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday night, but it was the online racial healing circles where students say they got the most out of the experience.
National Day of Racial Healing is observed annually the first Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a day to bring community members together in their common humanity to inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world.
Dominican’s observance of the event began with background information given by Amy Omi, the acting interim coordinator for the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) at Dominican and Tamara Bland, who serves on the TRHT team, an award presented to former chief diversity official Sheila Radford-Hill for her work on Dominican’s campus, a presentationo of the partnership with Dominican and the Village of Ricer Forest, followed by racial healing circles led by student leaders and community members.
Village of River Forest President Cathy Aducci and President Donna Carroll spoke on the partnership that led to the creation of a resolution with the Village that would build on a positive culture to promote and foster healing around Dominican’s campus.
Donna Carroll began by saying, “this is an effort anchored by love and deep commitment and courage.”
In 2016 Dominican’s Board of Trustees approved the sanctuary campus resolution that protected the rights of undocumented and other marginalized students. In early 2020 Dominican’s campus updated the sanctuary campus resolution to focus on all minority student groups through the lens of anti-racism and social justice.
On Dec. 8th, 2020, the Board of Trustees approved the new resolution with the Village. This resolution was built on transparency and courage. With the intention of the initial commitment of bringing justice for underrepresented groups, this resolution acknowledges it cannot be done alone and a partnership with the Village of River Forest is necessary to be successful.
“This is not like a typical Village project with a start date, end date, and a deliberate goal at the end. This is an ongoing commitment, a way of life that will lead to some uncomfortable conversations and disruptions in how we think and act. But it will lead us to being a stronger community” Aducci declared.
The resolution can be seen in an image on the bottom of the page.
Participants in the National Day of Racial Healing were given the opportunity to join break out rooms to participate in Racial Healing Circles.
Student leader Allie Wright facilitated her healing circle and led them through a check-in, a mindfulness moment, and a series of questions about racial identity and racial healing. “It was very special to share my story and get to hear the stories of others as well,” Allie said.
Student Laura Shaw described her experience in the circle to be, “a moment of sharing and listening. At no point did I feel uncomfortable in the circle.”
Some common topics discussed in the circles were confronting issues like racism with a lens of intersectionality, discussing how privilege affects everyone differently, and racial and ethnic backgrounds and how that has impacted one’s identity.
Dominican has celebrated the event in their own way since Jan. 17, 2017. What began as in person healing circles quickly became break out rooms as the event turned to Zoom to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. Over 150 students, staff, and Village members participated in the Zoom event organized by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Student Life, and University Ministry.
The event is hosted annually nationwide by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and builds on the learnings of Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation as a community.
Stories by Azhley Rodriguez 