Alumni

Dear HRI Alumni,

As a past participant in a Healing Racism session, you are both an ally and one of our alumni. We invite you to courageously continue the meaningful conversations and be ambassadors in our community, or as one alumna remarked, “You have two options after an experience like the seminar; you can park it and leave it, or you can walk away and incorporate it into your sense of self, reflect on the lessons you learned, and ask what you can do to make life better for the people around you.” 

The mission of the Healing Racism Institute is to build racism-free communities, organizations and institutions.  Alumni, like you, have gained a deep understanding of racism and have been provided the tools to speak up and take action. We hope our program has had a transformative impact on both you, as an individual, and the organizations you affect. Although your time in the program was short-lived, the knowledge you have gained makes you an advocate for building a racism-free community.  Another participant put it this way, “You don't redirect years of biases and you don't unlearn your thinking, processes, and understanding in two days. This shakes it up, but there's more work to do.” 

This is the moment when we, as a community, can work together using research-driven methods and experienced facilitators to break the cycle and create a future where racism and intolerance have no place.  The demand for our programming right now is significant. HRIPV must seize this moment and respond to the many requests for our services, and we can do so with your help. To meet demand we must increase our capacity to provide highly-trained facilitators, develop the infrastructure to manage growth successfully, and ensure that all who wish to have access to our sessions through scholarships. 

The Campaign to Build a Racism-Free Community is on track to raise $1 million to enhance our capacity and be self-sustaining. We are two-thirds of the way to our goal and can create an inclusive community with your support. Please consider joining with other funders committed to taking a bold step forward in the quest to make racial equity a reality in our community. If not now, when? 

Sincerely,

Vanessa Otero

Executive Director