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 Women, Black experiences and Black liberation. The Facing Racism facilitators are inter-racial, inter-religious, racial justice experts who are Women.

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 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

“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.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION COMING SOON

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.