Facing Racism

Facing Racism is Soul 2 Soul Sisters’ ending anti-Black racism/ending white supremacy culture program. We provide cohorts for individuals, cohorts for organizations, and Facing Racism Alumni programming.

Facing Racism

Soul 2 Soul Sisters hosts Facing Racism cohorts comprised of mostly white and non-Black people of color who identify as activists, educators, professionals, faith leaders, artists, social workers, and more in centering Black Women & femmes, Black experiences, and Black liberation.

We aspire to cultivate structures and systems that provide compassion, abundance and healing for all people, thus individual and collective healing is foundational to Facing Racism programming.

Each session opens with a brief Afro-Indigenous healing ritual to help participants and facilitators to center and participate in healing individually and collectively from post-traumatic slave syndrome and the effects of anti-Black racism/white supremacy culture, heteropatriarchy, capitalism, lynchings, policing, and state-sponsored violence.

Centering the lives and experiences of Black people, particularly Black Women, Facing Racism provides:

  • Sacred space for participants to learn and share deeply about race and racism.

  • An exploration of self-identity and social awareness as relates to white supremacy culture.

  • Space and time for assessment of self and the organization i.e. examine the role oppressive language and behaviors may play in the organization, analyze organizational composition and culturally responsive practice/service.

  • Analyses of anti-Black racism and the impacts of white supremacy culture.

  • Discussions about the U.S.A.’s historical and present-day reproductive injustices against Black Women, and medical reparations as physically and culturally healing.

  • Resources exploring the necessity of white people acknowledging and healing from anti-Black racism, and subsequently integrating sustained healing practices in anti-white supremacy culture work.

  • Sacred space to explore defunding/re-allocating funding/abolishing law enforcement work as healing justice.

  • A myriad of resources regarding ending anti-Black racism.

  • Opportunities to develop accountability partners for continued anti-white supremacy culture work.

  • An affirming space for participants to develop and implement plans for doing positively transformative personal and collective work to end anti-Black racism.

Reflections from Recent Facing Racism Participants

“Healing is resistance. I knew the phrase before, but I never fully internalized it quite like I did during Facing Racism. I've also connected with my ancestors and loved ones in a deeper way and am so thankful to y'all for showing me that way.” Facing Racism Participant, 2023 Fall Cohort

“I HUGELY appreciated how intentional Ash, Courtney, and Rev. Dr. Tawana were in facilitating a space that was centered in healing and love. The opening rituals each session put my mind and soul into a setting where they could truly be molded and shifted. The materials each session and the homework tied so intricately together and helped my brain not just learn new information but fully wrap around it and feel it.” Facing Racism Participant, 2023 Fall Cohort

“I feel like these meetings were really rooted in connection, conversation, compassion, patience, and lived experience. the room that was made for being human was so valuable.”  Facing Racism Participant, 2023 Fall Cohort

Meet the Instructors

Photo of Tawana Davis

Rev. Tawana Angela Davis, Ph.D. (her/she), is a Womanist, thought-provoker, speaker, preacher, and community leader. Born and raised in Harlem to the late Rose Lee Davis and the late Edward E. Davis, Jr., Dr. Davis has held diverse leadership roles, including educator, corporate leader, and ordained minister. She earned her Ph.D. in Leadership and Change, focusing on Womanist leadership to address and abolish anti-Black racism. As the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Soul 2 Soul Sisters, she advocates for the liberation of Black women, femmes, and gender-expansive individuals through Womanism. With 20 years of experience in social justice work, her efforts span racial justice, breast cancer, and domestic violence awareness. Dr. Davis has contributed to literary works, co-curated award-winning projects like Healing the Healers, and speaks nationally about her journey as a metastatic breast cancer survivor. Beyond her professional achievements, she finds purpose in touching, honoring, and acknowledging lives. As a proud mother of two master-level educators, a grandmother, and a justice advocate, Dr. Davis is committed to liberation for all.

Photo of Courtney Anika

Courtney Anika (she/they) is an experienced justice-centered leader who diligently works to create equitable solutions for organizations that center the experiences of Black and Queer people and thrives in all things administrative and behind the scenes. Courtney Anika is deeply committed to deprogramming their personal socialization as well as decolonizing the systems they [we] exist in through honoring and embracing the fullness of herself and the reflection of that in others which is upheld by Soul 2 Soul Sisters love-based revolution. While she continues to work on decolonizing her own programming, part of their trajectory and the tools that she utilizes in their work come from receiving an Associate of Arts degree in Communication Studies, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Ministry, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership. Courtney Anika utilizes her strengths to uplift the experiences of Black Beloveds, shine truth to the injustices that are faced with a white supremacist system, and provide tools to dismantle those systems and build toward a communal, restorative, and liberative world.

REGISTER FOR FACING RACISM SPRING 2024 COHORT

Every Sunday in April, join us for sessions that include poetry, music, articles, books and videos on theological and sociological topics - and follow-up support. Participants will enter the intellectual, emotional and spiritual process of engaging in anti-racist self-liberation work, educating and eliminating racism within personal circles, and leading racial justice work in congregations/organizations toward cultivating hospitable and just communities.

Session Dates: April 7th, April 14th, April 21st and April 28th

Session Times: 4:00 - 7:00 PM (MST)

Location: Google Classroom: Participants will receive their access code by April 6th.

Session Costs: $599 Regular Fee - regular registration closes at 11:59 PM MST on March 31st

Partial scholarships and payment plans are available to participants who express need - an anonymous donor provides scholarship funding in honor of Viola Liuzzo. Please contact info@soul2soulsisters.org if you would like a partial scholarship or payment plan.

Facing Racism Alumni

In keeping with the Facing Racism Cohorts, individual and collective healing is foundational to Facing Racism Alumni programming.

reparations

The three main objectives of Facing Racism Alumni programming are to:

  • Provide a sacred space for former Facing Racism participants to reflect on and share about their personal and communal experiences to end anti-Black racism.

  • White Facing Racism Alumni lead the ending anti-Black racism work – the sustenance and effectiveness of this program provides alumni opportunities to strengthen the awareness, knowledge and resolve needed to work toward ending anti-Black racism – Facing Racism Alumni programming does not require the labor of Black Women.

  • Counter to white supremacy culture, Facing Racism Alumni integrate celebration and joy into personal and collective anti-Black racism work.