Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 marks the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing. The day was created by La June Montgomery Tabron of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to be celebrated annually on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The intent is for the day to be celebrated during a time when “racial healing activities happen in homes, schools, businesses and communities across the country with the goal of creating a more just and equitable future for our children,” according to Foundation.
“When we envisioned (in 2016) how we could support the actions of people inspired by Dr. King,” Tabron said in an interview with USA Today, “we envisioned thousands of people coming together. People who we know are in communities doing this work, and we envisioned supporting them to build communities where children thrive. And seven years later, now we are seeing millions of people come together all across our nation, and we are very excited that each year this movement has produced great outcomes for children and families.”
Change Matrix (CM) is committed to both equity and anti-racism work. This year on the National Day of Racial Healing, CM staff paused to reflect on the importance of Dr. King’s message and how it can translate to the organization’s work.
“Every individual deserves to live in a community where they are valued, respected, and celebrated for who they are,” writes CM Co-Founder Elizabeth Waetzig, JD. “And every individual deserves to be in communities where they have access to all that they need to thrive. We know we are not there and it will take acknowledgement, honesty, and effort to dismantle historic and systemic racism to get to a place of racial healing and forward movement. CM is committed to healing to get to thriving.”
Here is a list of resources that you can use to get started on your own celebration and acknowledgment of the day:
