Groups join for day of racial healing
First-ever gathering held to encourage inclusivity
The singing of the National Anthem and an invocation, both in the Native American Diné language; a prayer by traditional curanderas wielding chalices billowing clouds of fragrant copal; and a healing circle all helped to kick off the first-ever National Day of Racial Healing in Albuquerque.
The ceremony, held Tuesday in the courtyard of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, was just one of many held in communities around the country and sponsored by 130 national organizations in collaboration with the charitable W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which is spearheading the effort.
“We are inviting different organizations and people to be part of this racial healing process, to share stories and support each other,” said Joe Martinez, consumer outreach coordinator with Health Action New Mexico. The goal is to have different communities come together as a single community that supports the success of all residents, “and to replace policies and structures of discrimination that have existed for many years.”
Synthia Jaramillo, chief operating offi-
cer for the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, said the organization was happy to host and support the event “because it encourages inclusivity, and as an organization that’s very important to us,” particularly because a majority of chamber members are minorities. It also provided an opportunity to “collaborate with other organizations across sectors,” she said.
A national day devoted to racial healing is “important now more so than ever,” Jaramillo said. “This country is represented by immigrants and different cultures. We’re all different and we should celebrate our diversity. That’s the bottom line.”
In a written statement, Gail Christopher, a senior advisor and vice president for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, said that “communities, organizations and individuals are being asked to acknowledge that there are still deep racial divisions in America that must be overcome.” A National Day of Racial Healing is a way to “come together to heal and commit to truth telling, engaging representatives from all racial, ethnic, religious and identity groups in genuine efforts to increase understanding, communication, caring and respect for one another.”
The Kellogg Foundation has trained people around the country as “truth, racial healing and transformation practitioners,” said Martinez, who is among a half dozen people from the Albuquerque area who underwent that training. They will now train others during sessions at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber. People who become such practitioners will then be able to travel throughout the state in support of efforts to create “more inclusive communities and replace policies and structures that were previously discriminatory,” said Martinez.
For information on becoming a certified practitioner, contact Tessah Latson at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 842-9003. Workshops will be scheduled for the spring.