In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a collective of Wayne State University (WSU) leaders collaborates every January to host the university’s National Day of Healing from Racism program. The day is all about learning how to talk about racism’s impact and how to use practices to guide people on their journey of healing from racism.
“Racism impacts everyone. We have a responsibility to take care of one another and to facilitate our individual as well as our collective communal healing,” said Asandi Conner, Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) Director and one of the event organizers.
The 2026 event is Tuesday, Jan. 20, and features both in-person and virtual sessions on coalition building, art therapy, and more — all of which are free to attend and open to everyone. The day begins with a keynote breakfast from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Wayne State University’s Student Center featuring Harry Weaver III, Oakland County Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, who will speak on inclusion work’s connections to liberation vs. being used as a trend.
The day continues with virtual programming in the afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m., including breakout sessions on bystander intervention, art therapy, and coalition building. The program then concludes with a community dialogue on reclaiming humanity through co-liberation and solidarity.
“We’re excited about this year’s hybrid format and making the event more accessible,” Conner said. “We have a dynamic roster of practitioners, facilitators, faculty, and staff contributing to our collective effort to acknowledge and heal from racism’s wounds.”
Participants are encouraged to join the sessions throughout the day as their schedule allows. More details and links to RSVP are available at: bit.ly/dayofhealingkeynote and bit.ly/dayofhealingvirtual.
Three WSU departments and programs collaborate to host this event: the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL), an initiative of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School; the WSU Office of Inclusive Excellence; and the WSU Office of Multicultural Student Engagement. Their shared goal is to heal from and end racism, by telling the truth about past and current wrongs and addressing the consequences created by individual and systemic racism.
The National Day of Healing from Racism is a part of the National Day of Racial Healing led by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) initiative. Fundamental to the annual observance of this day (the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) is a clear understanding that racial healing is at the core of racial equity.
“Racism impacts everyone. We have a responsibility to take care of one another and to facilitate our individual as well as our collective communal healing,” said Asandi Conner, Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) Director and one of the event organizers.
The 2026 event is Tuesday, Jan. 20, and features both in-person and virtual sessions on coalition building, art therapy, and more — all of which are free to attend and open to everyone. The day begins with a keynote breakfast from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Wayne State University’s Student Center featuring Harry Weaver III, Oakland County Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, who will speak on inclusion work’s connections to liberation vs. being used as a trend.
The day continues with virtual programming in the afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m., including breakout sessions on bystander intervention, art therapy, and coalition building. The program then concludes with a community dialogue on reclaiming humanity through co-liberation and solidarity.
“We’re excited about this year’s hybrid format and making the event more accessible,” Conner said. “We have a dynamic roster of practitioners, facilitators, faculty, and staff contributing to our collective effort to acknowledge and heal from racism’s wounds.”
Participants are encouraged to join the sessions throughout the day as their schedule allows. More details and links to RSVP are available at: bit.ly/dayofhealingkeynote and bit.ly/dayofhealingvirtual.
Three WSU departments and programs collaborate to host this event: the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL), an initiative of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School; the WSU Office of Inclusive Excellence; and the WSU Office of Multicultural Student Engagement. Their shared goal is to heal from and end racism, by telling the truth about past and current wrongs and addressing the consequences created by individual and systemic racism.
The National Day of Healing from Racism is a part of the National Day of Racial Healing led by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) initiative. Fundamental to the annual observance of this day (the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) is a clear understanding that racial healing is at the core of racial equity.
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