News
National Day of Racial Healing | Art Making Change: A Day of Healing, Art & Celebration
January 2025 ->
On behalf of TRHT Greater Chicago and @_blackpearlarts, we are looking forward to holding sacred space in a healing environment among residents, friends and family. We are grateful to Mayor Brandon Johnson @chicagosmayor for his gracious proclamation recognizing January 21, 2025 as the National Day of Racial Healing in Chicago!!
This beautiful proclamation holds tremendous significance as we continue the important work to build bridges across communities and address systemic inequities.
These are unprecedented times and we are called to hold space, inspire connection and share love. Join us at Little Black Pearl on Tuesday, January 21st. Follow the link in our bio for the day’s schedule. One love!
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR PROCLAMATION [January 2025]
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR PROCLAMATION [circa January 2020]
COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROCLAMATION
There is still so much work to do, and this important day of service in honor of the Right Honorable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is always a poignant reminder of how far we’ve come as well as how far we have left to go in the name of EQUITY and Racial Healing.
On behalf of TRHT Greater Chicago, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for her proclamation recognizing the National Day of Racial Healing in Cook County!!
What an honor and a privilege to do this healing work in the city that I absolutely love, as I am committed to the fight for equity and the journey to true solidarity.
President Preckwinkle, your leadership and support are deeply appreciated as we prepare ourselves for the work ahead in 2025 and beyond. On behalf of TRHT Greater Chicago, Thank YOU!!!
Join Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Greater Chicago for the National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) on January 21, 2025, a transformative event dedicated to reflection, connection, and unity. Held in partnership with Little Black Pearl (LBP) Art and Design Center in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, this year’s event embraces the theme: Art Making Change – A Day of Healing, Art, and Celebration.
Positioned the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day and on the cusp of the presidential inauguration, NDORH offers a space to gather in love and purpose during a time of profound reflection and heightened emotions. This year’s convening will spotlight the power of art as a tool for healing and transformation, showcasing how creative expression can inspire solidarity, amplify community voices, and foster deeper connections.
The day will feature excerpts from The Colors of LOVE documentary, highlighting the creative depth and gifts of community members, social change activists, and philanthropy leaders engaged in racial justice work across Chicago. Through storytelling and art, we will reflect on Dr. King’s enduring messages of justice and peace while addressing the urgent need for racial healing in today’s polarized climate.
This year’s event will also host creative lab sessions, curated by the community for the community, that invite participants to explore innovative ways of expressing themselves and sharing their stories. These interactive labs will include:
- Podcast Studio
- Music Booth
- Customization Lab
- Painting and Visual Arts Lab
- Interactive Panel Discussion
Art has the power to heal, connect, and transform, and this event is a celebration of that truth. By engaging in the expressive arts, participants will come together to foster love, understanding, and solidarity while bearing witness to the rich legacy of Bronzeville’s artistic and cultural contributions.
The National Day of Racial Healing 2025 will culminate with BLACK UNPLUGGED: A mini Concert for PEACE & SOCIAL JUSTICE. This is not just an event, but a call to action. It is a harvest of the relationships and love we’ve cultivated over the last year, a celebration of collective progress, and a moment to recommit ourselves to building a just and inclusive society. Together, we will honor the transformative power of art in making change and creating a future grounded in healing and hope. Details to follow!
January 2023 ->
National Day of Racial healing 2023: Year of Transformation through Solidarity
Dear attendees and supporters of the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing on the Southside of Chicago –
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for joining us in this powerful and transformative event. You demonstrated that our mantra, Solidarity Heals, resonated deeply with all of us, and we were honored to have the opportunity to come together and celebrate the rich diversity of our city through music, spoken word, theater, and dance. The energy and passion of all who participated in the event was truly inspiring, and we are humbled by the outpouring of support and solidarity that we witnessed. We hope that you all left the event feeling uplifted and empowered, and that you will take the message of LOVE and COLLECTIVE HEALING with you into your respective communities and networks as we continue to navigate the challenges of our city.
We also want to remind you to sign up for our Solidarity Circles here, which are an opportunity for us to continue the conversation and to build on the powerful connections that we made during the event.
We also encourage you all to respond to the prompt, What Could Chicago Become as we work together to create a more just and equitable Chicago. We look forward to your feedback, thoughts and ideas around this topic. #bettertogether
Once again, thank you for your participation and your commitment to racial healing. We hope to see you again soon.
With deep gratitude and love,
Pilar and the TRHT Family
https://youtu.be/vAWs2JftWnk
January 2022 ->
National Day of Racial Healing 2022: Year of Transformation through Solidarity
Pilar extends a heartfelt THANK YOU for being in community with us for the National Day of Racial Healing 2022! In case you missed it, please watch our brief presentation featuring the voices of TRHT founding Architect Dr. Gail Christopher, Chicago’s Chief Equity Officer Candace Moore, and brothers and sisters from the community who will share what healing in our hoods means to them. Then, please fill out our survey HERE. We need to hear YOUR voice. One Love!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0EGTlttRHU
January 2021 ->
National Day of Racial Healing 2021: To the Beat of One Drum
The 5th Annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) on Tuesday, January 19, was a day for Chicagoans to come together in unity and solidarity with the youth movement for racial justice and to collectively heal. NDORH 2021 was a free, immersive, virtual event that promoted cultural healing practices and multi-cultural drumming performances to guide and set the tone for Racial Healing Circles. Action groups were formed to foster alliances among participants to support the youth movement to repair the harm caused by racist systems, policies and practices against Black, Native and Brown people. Over 600 people came together in solidarity.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 19
THE 5TH ANNUAL NATIONAL DAY OF RACIAL HEALING
| WHAT: | The 5th Annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH), Tuesday, January 19, is a day for organizations, community groups and individuals across age, race, and ethnicity to come together in unity and solidarity to collectively heal and build the relationships necessary to create a more just and equitable world.Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago (TRHT) will host a free, immersive virtual NDORH event that is a call to action for Illinoisans to mobilize in support of racial justice. This year’s event is inspired by the leadership of Chicago youth, whose movement for racial equity and justice is transforming our communities, our city and state, and our futures.Hundreds of people from across the state including circle keepers, curanderas, community-organizers, faith-leaders, students, teachers and artists will come together for the event and begin 2021 with a day dedicated to collective healing. |
| WHO: WHEN: | Dr. Gail Christopher,the nationally recognized architect of racial healing, is the keynote speaker. Youth leaders from GoodKids Mad City, Chi-Nations Youth Council, #IncreaseThePeace and Southeast Youth Council will provide actionable next steps to make our lives and communities more equitable. There will be musical performances by artists/activists including DJ Sade Woods, the Ayodele African Dance, the Redline Native American Drummers and Bomba con Buya.Registration deadline: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 11:59pmEvent: Tuesday, January 19, 2020 10:00AM-3:00PMMorning Session: Attendees will gather in a safe space to experience the power of participating in a Racial Healing Circle.Afternoon Session: Action groups will be formed to foster alliances among participants to support advocacy to repair the harm caused by racist systems, policies and practices against Black, Native and Brown people. |
| BACKGROUND: | The National Day of Racial Healing brings together individuals and communities in a collective day of healing from the ravaging effects of racism. Launched in 2017, the National Day of Racial Healing is a call to action for racial healing for all people. It originated as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s national Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation efforts. |
| MORE INFORMATION: | The theme for NDORH 2021 is To the Beat of One Drum. The history of the drum represents the rhythm of the heartspace that unifies us throughout the human diaspora. When we move collectively to the beat of the drum, we create beautiful synergy, empowering ourselves to true personal, cultural, communal and, ultimately, institutional transformation. |