Racial Awareness Mini-Festival
Shootings of unarmed African-Americans in Florida, Ferguson, MO, New York City, Charleston, SC, Texas, Baltimore, MD, as well as other places and atrocities against people of color by police and to police remind us, as a Church and as citizens, that we must continue to address issues of racism and white supremacy. Many white people have watched the crisis unfold and said, "I didn't know that was still happening. What can I do?", while many black people are re-tr...
Racial Awareness Mini-Festival
Shootings of unarmed African-Americans in Florida, Ferguson, MO, New York City, Charleston, SC, Texas, Baltimore, MD, as well as other places and atrocities against people of color by police and to police remind us, as a Church and as citizens, that we must continue to address issues of racism and white supremacy. Many white people have watched the crisis unfold and said, "I didn't know that was still happening. What can I do?", while many black people are re-traumatized by each event that devalues black lives.
Featuring DC Black Lives Matter Co-Director and CEO of Unchained, LLC, Erika Totten, and filmmaker, Katrina Browne, producer of "Traces of the Trade," an acclaimed PBS documentary, Racial Awareness and Mindfulness 2016: A Mini-Festival of the Arts, Awareness, and Healing will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Ms. Totten and Ms. Browne will engage in a keynote dialogue and facilitate workshops about racial awareness and healing. This mini-festival intends to help people of good will reflect on the remaining reality of racism in our society through the arts, while also providing practical approaches to addressing the reality of race and privilege and its systemic effects through experiential workshops.
All of the day's events will lead to a facilitated conversation about next steps in addressing problems of race and violence in our community. We will gather together all who are stirred to action to have a facilitated discussion on next steps to continue the effort to raise awareness and to support the struggle for both healing and restoration. All of these methods offer opportunities for people in our region to explore the reality of racism from a new perspective.
At the end of this one-day event, we hope churches, organizations, and individuals will be more self-reflective regarding the impact of racism on their lives and the lives of "the other," and we hope they will be inspired to join anti-racism organizations, to have their churches and organizations partner with others across the racial divide, and/or to continue to engage with the participants they met at the festival. If people sign up to continue this work, we will meet monthly thereafter.
We will offer food, music, spoken word, drumming, dance, Emotional Emancipation Circles for African Americans, Exploring Whiteness Interplay for whites, and workshops on Howard Thurman and contemplative activism, the theology of violence, and "Language and Justice” for immigrants and others who have experienced communication in the US as oppressive.
Sponsors to date include: Black Presbyterians United, Black Women for Positive Change, Church of the Pilgrims DC, Faith in Public Life, Howard University School of Divinity, Iona DC, NEXTChurch (PCUSA), PCUSA Office of Public Witness, Spiritual Directors of Color Network, Ltd., The National Capital Presbytery Source, Urban Ministries Network, Westminster Presbyterian Church DC, and others
Registration at the event opens at 9:00AM
Lunch will be provided.
