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

The only program of its kind, Soul 2 Soul Sisters hosts Facing Racism cohorts comprised of mostly white people from all religious affiliations - ranging from non-religious to spiritual - in centering Black Womxn, Black experiences and Black liberation. The Facing Racism facilitators are inter-racial, inter-religious, racial justice experts who are Womxn.

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.

Each gathering has a new theme that raises awareness about anti-Black racism/white supremacy culture toward assisting participants in developing individual/organizational/congregational plans for ending familial, communal and systemic racism.

Centering the lives and experiences of Black people, particularly Black Womxn, 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 Womxn, 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

“This cohort engages the work of anti-racism from a space of healing, self-care, and imagination – reflecting on what we are working FOR, not just what we are working against. The homework is intellectually and emotionally stimulating and the facilitation of S2SS's staff creates a sacred space for sharing and learning that is full of challenge and grace. S2SS makes room for each participant to begin wherever they are on the journey of understanding white supremacy culture and systemic racism and invites you to grow from that place.” Facing Racism Participant, 2021 Winter/Spring Cohort

“Facing racism was a life-changing experience. S2S Sisters’ staff guided me with love, challenge, joy, pain and learning to open my mind and heart and call me to action. Join us on this journey!” Facing Racism Participant, 2021 Winter/Spring Cohort

“The Facing Racism Cohort was an eye-, mind-, and heart-opening experience for me. Knowing I had spent too little time thinking about race previously, the Cohort vastly expanded my limited, white-centered worldview and challenged many of my assumptions.” Facing Racism Participant, 2021 Winter/Spring Cohort

The cost for Facing Racism is $300. Partial scholarships are available to participants who express need - an anonymous donor provides scholarship funding in honor of Viola Liuzzo. For more information, please click here to contact Soul 2 Soul Sisters.

Through seven sessions - that include poetry, music, articles, books and videos on theological and sociological topics - and follow-up support, participants 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.

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Facing Racism for Organizations Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)

For several years, Soul 2 Soul Sisters has received ongoing requests for equity and inclusion trainings from businesses, organizations, congregations, governmental offices, etc., as leaders sought to demonstrate a deepening value in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Currently, demand is at its height during the present wave of the Movement for Black Lives as more people realize that Black people – particularly Black Womxn – face extensive obstacles to being heard, respected, valued, appropriately compensated, and included in organizational cultures. To address the requests from organizational leaders who have an increased awareness of such inequities, Soul 2 Soul Sisters launched our “Facing Racism for Organizations - Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)" program.

Centering the lives and experiences of Black people, particularly Black Womxn, Facing Racism for Organizations - JEDI 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.
Opportunity for examination of bias and microaggressions in the organization.
Opportunities to broaden and deepen understanding of the impact our country’s history has on the interactions that occur within the organization today.
Guidance for identifying oppressive organizational policies and procedures.
Space and time to develop plans for embedding a practice of critical consciousness and a JEDI focus into organizational culture.
Support for managers to strategize ways to demonstrate commitment to JEDI-guided leadership.
Space and time to plan ways to disrupt/dismantle oppressive organizational culture as relates to the hiring and retention of employees of color.
Community collaboration.

The base cost for Facing Racism for Organizations - JEDI is $12,500 per cohort. One cohort consists of three, 2.5 hour sessions for up to 20 participants. Additional fees will apply for requested services that include additional participants, equity focused coaching and consultation, focus group facilitation, equity focused organizational assessment, etc. For more information about Facing Racism - JEDI, please contact Facing Racism Coordinator, Dr. Debbie Mixon Mitchell at drdebbie@soul2soulsisters.org

Facing Racism Alumni

In keeping with Facing Racism and Facing Racism for Organizations - JEDI, individual and collective healing is foundational to Facing Racism Alumni programming.

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

Facing Racism

Facing Racism

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 Womxn, 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.

Facing Racism for Organizations Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI)

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.

Opportunity for examination of bias and microaggressions in the organization.

Opportunities to broaden and deepen understanding of the impact our country’s history has on the interactions that occur within the organization today.

Guidance for identifying oppressive organizational policies and procedures.

Space and time to develop plans for embedding a practice of critical consciousness and a JEDI focus into organizational culture.

Support for managers to strategize ways to demonstrate commitment to JEDI-guided leadership.

Space and time to plan ways to disrupt/dismantle oppressive organizational culture as relates to the hiring and retention of employees of color.

Community collaboration.

Facing Racism Alumni

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.

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

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