As we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s enduring vision of justice, freedom, and belonging, we are reminded that his dream for a better future was not only about what is possible in the distant future horizon—it was also about how we imagine and create the world in the here and now. To commemorate this year’s National Day of Racial Healing, Dr. Wenimo Okoya and Dr. Crystal Martin of the Institute of Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center, will explore how freedom dreaming, a process rooted in radical imagination, empowers educators to transform our schools into spaces of equity, joy, and liberation, reflecting—Dr. King’s vision of a society where all individuals can flourish without barriers.

What would it look like to build schools where every student has the opportunity to thrive, feel valued, and experience the fullness of their potential? How can we create educational spaces where equity and belonging are not just ideals but lived realities, especially for historically excluded students, including students of color, and those with learning differences?

Presented by the Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center, this session will introduce you to our peer-to-peer professional learning model, which empowers educators, counselors, and school leaders reimagine their schools through the lens of radical imagination. Together, we will explore how this collaborative learning journey can empower educators to co-create schools that are inclusive, antiracist, and filled with joy.

The Emory Black Employee Network will host an in-person racial healing circle to foster connection and promote social, personal and professional growth.

In honor of the 9th Annual National Day of Racial Healing, Elms College's Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE) is hosting an event entitled, #GOODScholars: Cultivating Educational Spaces of Hope for Racial Healing. Dr. Tyra Good, Inaugural Executive Director of the CEUE, Dominique McDonald, Academic Coordinator in the CEUE, and Dr. Jennifer Shoaff, Chief Diversity Officer at Elms College, will lead a critical discussion on examining structured inequities within school systems and an educator's role in creating equity-centered, trauma-informed educational spaces that foster and honor intersectional student identities. This event will serve as the launch of the CEUE's "GOOD Educators Connect" Book discussion of, Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom by Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

The event will be held on Saturday, January 11th from 10:30 am-12 noon at Elms College in the Mary Dooley College Center, Room 101.

In honor of the 9th Annual National Day of Racial Healing, Elms College's Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE) is hosting an event entitled, #GOODScholars: Creating Educational Spaces of Hope for Racial Healing. Dr. Tyra Good, Inaugural Executive Director of the CEUE, Dominique McDonald, Academic Coordinator in the CEUE, and Dr. Jennifer Shoaff, Chief Diversity Officer at Elms College, will lead a critical discussion on examining structured inequities within school systems and an educator's role in creating equity-centered, trauma-informed educational spaces that foster and honor the intersectional of student identities. This event will serve as the launch of the CEUE's "GOOD Educators Connect" Book discussion of, Learning to Relearn: Supporting Identity in a Culturally Affirming Classroom by Kwame Sarfo-Mensah.

The event will be held on Saturday, January 11th from 10:30 am-12 noon at Elms College in the Mary Dooley College Center, Room 101.