National Day of Racial Healing is a ‘Love Letter to Kalamazoo’

KALAMAZOO, MI — Kalamazoo County residents will have dozens of chances to gather and reflect in January as local organizations come together for a month-long celebration connected to the National Day of Racial Healing.

The community-wide series, “How We Heal,” will run from January 14-30 at locations across Kalamazoo. Events are open to community members of all ages and backgrounds, with RSVP encouraged. Organizers say the month is designed to create meaningful entry points into racial healing work, from self-care and wellness, art experiences, to facilitated dialogue, and education and storytelling.

Michigan Transformation Collective is coordinating the series, which aims to focus and elevate practices already happening across the county while inviting new participants into the work.

“This year’s theme centers on a core belief: racial healing is at the heart of racial equity,” says Brooke Lindley (she/her), Administrative and Communications Manager for Michigan Transformation Collective. “It’s the ‘people’s work’ that makes systems change real and sustainable.”

Lindley described racial healing as both personal and shared. A type of healing that is grounded in truth-telling, repair,  and relationship-building, especially across differences. Lindley says the goal is to move beyond one-time events and toward a culture where healing practices are accessible and integrated into a community’s everyday life.

“For us, racial healing includes telling hard truths about past wrongs and present consequences, repairing harm, and building authentic relationships across differences,” Lindley says. “National Day of Racial Healing is the Racial Healing Community of Practice’s love letter to Kalamazoo County, an offering meant to both hold us and move us.”

The January calendar includes multiple events meant to meet people where they are, particularly those who are new to racial healing work or unsure how to participate. Lindley says organizers partnered with 20 local organizations and businesses to build a schedule that feels welcoming and flexible, recognizing that different people connect through different pathways.

“This year’s schedule was intentionally built with newcomers in mind,” Lindley says. “We partnered with 20 organizations and businesses across Kalamazoo to create a wide range of entry points, because we know healing looks different for different people, and not everyone is ready to start in the same place.”

Some participants may be drawn to wellness events such as BIPOC Yoga with Backyard Yogis or free community yoga with Move With Joy, while others may prefer educational events like the MLK Teach-In at Western Michigan University. 

Additional programs include facilitated dialogue and reflection spaces, including “Solidarity Session: Owning My Role in Racial Healing,” hosted in partnership with the Kalamazoo College Arcus Center for Civic Engagement, ERACCE, YWCA Kalamazoo, and Michigan Transformation Collective. Community connection events, such as Breakfast & Bonding at the Douglass Community Association, are also an option.

Participants can register online in advance for the K College session on Tuesday, Jan. 20.  A dinner takes place at 4:30 p.m., and community solidarity sessions take place from 5–7 p.m. 

Lindley says this month is meant to serve as a starting point, not an ending. She encouraged residents who want to stay involved after January to connect with the ongoing Racial Healing Community of Practice.

“We see National Day of Racial Healing as a glimpse of what we’re building towards: a future where racial healing is woven into everyday life in Kalamazoo County,” Lindley said. “People can continue by joining the Racial Healing Community of Practice (RHCoP).”