Wayne State to commemorate day of 'racial healing' with programming centered on 'Co-Liberation and Solidarity'

Wayne State University in Detroit is set to host a day-long event in honor of the “National Day of Healing from Racism” on Jan. 21.

Wayne State has listed a number of speakers and programming that is centered around this year’s theme of “Reclaiming Humanity through Co-Liberation and Solidarity.” 

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The university’s website states a need for the programming as a part of how “[W]e collaborate every January to host the National Day of Healing from Racism in an effort to heal the wounds created by racial, ethnic, and religious bias and build an equitable and just society where everyone can thrive.” 

The university adds in the description that, “we need to tell the truth about the past and current wrongs and address the consequences created by individual and systemic racism.” 

The web page also features a number of activities and programs that attendees should expect for the day, including a “[s]ound bath meditation,” land acknowledgement and a “short grounding.” 

Following a keynote address from Tawana Petty, an American author and poet who is a self-described “social justice organizer,” attendees will be broken up into various breakout rooms, which include a “Bystander Training/Intervention” to “invite attendees to practice utilizing a strategy to develop comfortability with a personalized approach.” 

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Attendees can also choose to participate in an “Art Therapy Session,” where an “art therapist” will have attendees craft a “healing collage,” which is an “act as a personal road map, vision board, or guide on their healing journey.” 

The final breakout room that attendees can choose from will cover the topic of “Social Media & Voice for Liberation.”

In addition to the listed breakout rooms, attendees will also take part in a “Yarënda’ Nde Yahchrondiak Performance,” which will “[weave] together the beauty of storytelling, music and song, and healing circles to explore the context of healing from racism.” 

Campus Reform has contacted Wayne State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.