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.
REGISTER HERE for our upcoming Facing Racism Cohort starting Sunday, August 3rd!
Centering the lives and experiences of Black people, particularly Black Women, Facing Racism provides:
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Sacred space for participants to learn and share deeply about race and racism.
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An exploration of self-identity and social awareness as relates to white supremacy culture.
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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.
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Analysis of anti-Black racism and the impacts of white supremacy culture.
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Discussions about the U.S.A.’s historical and present-day reproductive injustices against Black Women, and medical reparations as physically and culturally healing.
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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.
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Sacred space to explore defunding/re-allocating funding/abolishing law enforcement work as healing justice.
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A myriad of resources regarding ending anti-Black racism.
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Opportunities to develop accountability partners for continued anti-white supremacy culture work.
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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
“Four sessions laid a solid foundation—and I wish they hadn’t ended! Thank you for the heart, compassion, time, resources, and vulnerability you brought to class. Your amazing facilitation made this experience truly special, and I appreciate every bit of effort. I’ll miss it, but I’m excited to continue this work individually. Thank you <3. This was the only space where I felt truly comfortable without oversharing to white counterparts—you really had them doing the work, and don’t think I didn’t notice.” Facing Racism Participant, 2024 Fall Cohort
“I was able to be vulnerable—especially in my small group and through journal/discussion prompts. I admitted implicit biases and reactions to the shared resources, something I rarely discuss, and confronted the harm I’ve caused in the past. It was invaluable to have a workshop dedicated to honest, vulnerable, and compassionate dialogue while directly addressing the harm we as white people have caused. I felt validated in my vulnerability and appreciated that both participants and facilitators shared it openly.” Facing Racism Participant, 2024 Fall Cohort
Meet the Instructors
Desteni Rivers (she/her), is a Black, queer Southern woman from Tennessee, who draws inspiration from her upbringing filled with love and support amidst pervasive barriers faced by Black beloveds. Her journey is driven by a desire for positive change on both individual and systemic levels. With a Bachelor of Arts in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, along with minors in Africana Studies and Law & Society from the University of Pennsylvania, she built a strong foundation in racial and reproductive justice. Leveraging this knowledge, Desteni has supported grassroots BIPOC and Women-led nonprofits as a grant writer and consultant, including Soul 2 Soul Sisters since 2020. At S2SS, Desteni found a home within the organization working at the intersection of Reproductive and Racial Justice. Upon joining the team full-time as the organization's Racial and Economic Justice Manager leads S2SS in developing and implementing racial justice programming such as Facing Racism and Reparations programming that ensure organizational financial sustainability and embody economic justice.
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.
Facing Racism Alumni
In keeping with the Facing Racism Cohorts, individual and collective healing is foundational to Facing Racism Alumni programming.
The three main objectives of Facing Racism Alumni programming are to:
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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.
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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.
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Counter to white supremacy culture, Facing Racism Alumni integrate celebration and joy into personal and collective anti-Black racism work.