The summit is taking place in conjunction with National Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with activities including two blocks of breakout sessions. It is being sponsored the college’s Office of Campus Ministries and Center for Diversity and Inclusion. The theme for 2025 is “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365”.
Registration is required for the event.
Every January, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision and legacy inspire people across the U.S. to do something that lives up to his dream. The National Day of Racial Healing is observed each year on the Tuesday after Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Advocating for Indigenous Rights: Understanding Sovereignty & the Rights of Nature"
This workshop aims to empower community members with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and the recognition of the Rights of Nature. Participants will learn how Indigenous rights are connected to the environment, how to engage with local and global advocacy platforms, and how to take concrete action to protect natural resources and sacred sites.
Black Land In White Hands: Reflecting on the Millican Massacre and the National Day of Racial Healing
Fort Worth, Texas – January 21, 2025
The National Day of Racial Healing will feature a powerful presentation titled Black Land In White Hands: The Lynching of Pastor George Edwin Brooks and the Massacre in Millican, Texas in 1868. Hosted at the Kirk Franklin Chapel of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, this event promises to shed light on a lesser-known chapter of Texas history, rooted in racial violence and resistance during Reconstruction.
The National Day of Racial Healing, established in 2017 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, aims to foster conversations on the effects of racism and to chart paths toward transformational change. This year, the focus will turn to the Millican Massacre, a tragic episode of racial violence that claimed up to 300 Black lives in July 1868 and left an indelible mark on Texas history.
The Millican Massacre: A Legacy of Resistance and Tragedy
Millican, a small town 15 miles from present-day Texas A&M University, became the site of what scholars have called “the worst incident of racial violence in Texas during Reconstruction.” As tensions mounted, a rumor that a Black man, Miles Brown, had been lynched spiraled into a counter-rumor that Black residents were planning retaliation. What followed was a massacre orchestrated by white vigilantes that decimated Millican’s Black community.
Dr. Amy Earhart of Texas A&M University has been instrumental in researching the massacre and working with her students to establish a historical marker to honor its victims. “The Millican Massacre was a calculated act of violence designed to dismantle Black civil rights, particularly voting rights, in Texas,” Earhart explains. “The aftermath ensured African Americans were disenfranchised for nearly a century.”
The Heroism of Pastor George Edwin Brooks
Central to the story of Millican’s Black resistance is Pastor George Edwin Brooks, a former soldier in the United States Colored Troops and a Methodist minister. Pastor Brooks was a leader in organizing voter registration and community defense efforts in Millican. When the Ku Klux Klan marched through the town, he trained men in military tactics and set up protective perimeters for the community. Tragically, Brooks was lynched en route to Austin, where he had sought federal intervention to protect his congregation.
“Pastor Brooks was not only a victim but a hero of this history,” says Earhart. “His leadership symbolizes the agency and courage of Millican’s Black community, which fought to protect its rights and dignity in the face of overwhelming violence.”
Commemorating the Past, Confronting the Present
The presentation on January 21 will include a discussion of the ongoing efforts to preserve the history of Millican and honor figures like Pastor Brooks. Earhart and her team are completing a digital archive and preparing to install a historical marker to ensure this history is remembered. “Markers force us to engage with the past and reckon with how it shapes our present,” she states.
Rev. Kyev P. Tatum, Sr., Pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and a leading advocate for racial justice in Texas, underscores the importance of events like the National Day of Racial Healing. “Understanding our history is essential to healing our nation. The story of Pastor Brooks and the Millican community reminds us of the cost of racial injustice but also of the resilience of those who stood against it.”
Join the Conversation
The National Day of Racial Healing invites all to reflect on these histories and engage in dialogue about the path forward. The event will begin at 12 noon at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, 2864 Mississippi Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas 76104.
For more information about the event, visit www.newmountrose.com or contact Rev. Kyev P. Tatum at 817-966-7625.
NewCORE, Inc [New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity], in partnership with WHYY News, will host the annual Conversations of King. An intergenerational and multicultural conversation about the legacy, leadership, and cause of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. based upon his writings, sermons, speeches, books, and activism revisited and appreciated by 21st-century advocates, activists, and leaders toward addressing current civic opportunities and challenges. A moderated panel of local civic leaders will prompt and enhance the conversation with reflections.
Dear Sisters,
We warmly invite you to join our Multigenerational African Women’s Healing Circle, a sacred space dedicated to spirituality, healing, and community for women and their children who identify as survivors.
Event Details:
• Date: Dec. 14, 2024
• Time: 11am UTC
• Location: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
What to Expect:
• Elders’ Wisdom Circle: Our esteemed elders will share their invaluable insights and experiences, guiding us on our healing journeys.
• Creative Expression: Engage in the creation of music and poetry, celebrating our collective resilience and strength.
• Spiritual Practices: Participate in rituals and practices rooted in our rich African heritage, fostering connection and inner peace.
• Community Support: Build bonds with fellow sisters and their children, creating a supportive network that transcends generations.
Who Should Attend:
This gathering is open to African women of all ages and their children who have experienced trauma and are seeking a nurturing environment for healing and growth.
RSVP:
Please confirm your attendance by [Insert RSVP Date] by contacting [Insert Contact Information].
We look forward to coming together in unity, honoring our stories, and embracing the path to healing.
With love and solidarity,
Phumulani Minnesota African Women against Violence
comfort. dondo@phumulani.org
Join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for the National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, January 21,2025 from 10am -2pm CT. This free online event will worship, workshops and panel discussions centering the voices and experiences of People of Color.
United Way Worldwide is partnering with a Howard University to host a community conversation to foster connections and promote racial healing. While we are inviting spiritual leaders to help guide the discussion, community residents and social justice advocates will also be invited. We are also facilitating exercises that will help to engage attendees and elevate awareness.
Worship and reception with panel discussion and Q&A
Antioch Baptist Church of Brooklyn and the Congregation Beth Elohim joined forces with support from the American Jewish Foundation to combat racism and antisemitism. Under the leadership of Rabbi Rachel Timoner and Rev. Dr. Robert M. Waterman, both congregations have committed to developing a community of learning around each other's culture, houses of worship, education, and family by intentionally worshipping together, having shared meals with menus from both cultures, having conversations about our family histories and creating a safe space for these activities. We embarked on this mission almost three years ago and just returned from an overnight joint trip from Brooklyn, New York to Washington DC to visit the Smithsonian African American Museum and the Holocaust Museum, Lincoln and MLK Memorials on MLK Day. Of the 54 attenders 16 of them were young people between the ages of 10 and 25 years old. Thursday's event will be a debrief of our experience while having a meal together at Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place, Brooklyn, New York. All are invited to attend in person or online.
Cry Out is a profound practice of surrender and submission, a transformative act where one relinquishes personal will to engage and embrace the divine will of God. It’s a spiritual journey that leads to breakthroughs, restoration, and the transformation of pain, barriers, and obstacles, paving the way toward one’s divine purpose. Through the exercise of faith, courage, wisdom, and the desire to break through and manifest inner strength, individuals not only discover but also unleash their gifts, talents, and abilities dwelling within to overcome life’s challenges and ascend to the next level of divine purpose.
Cry Out serves as a dynamic pathway for individuals to draw nearer to God, empowering them to be guided by an intense personal yearning to break through and triumph, radiating from this transformative experience. It signifies heartfelt recognition and an unwavering desire to shift the seasons of life, ascending to the next pinnacle of spiritual renewal. Through the dynamic act of “Crying Out,” one reveals a resolute commitment to embrace the higher calling, overcome obstacles, and propel through toward a destiny brimming with purpose and spiritual fulfillment.