By Rachel Huser
Dominican University hosted a virtual program Tuesday night to participate in the fifth annual National Day of Racial Healing, an event that builds on the work and learnings of the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) community partners.
Amy Omi, University Minister for Liturgy and the Arts, facilitated the program. 185 Dominican students, faculty, staff and members of the River Forest community attended.
The program featured a discussion by Dominican President Donna Carroll and River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci on the partnership that was recently approved between the university and the village. It is committed to combating racial and social inequity.
“The partnership will build a positive culture,” said Adduci.
River Forest approved their community partnership with Dominican University on Oct. 26, and officials from both groups are hoping for a mutually-beneficial one that will help the village commit to building a community with a culture of equity and inclusion and help the university expand its TRHT efforts.
TRHT is a nationally recognized organization that fights for racial justice. 150 campuses nationwide are involved. Dominican joined in 2020.
Following Adduci’s remarks, Carroll presented a resolution between Dominican University and the Village of River Forest that will challenge racial injustice, promote healing, and transform practices on campus and in the community.
“The hope is that it will create a more welcoming community for Dominican students in River Forest,” said Carroll.
Dominican has already started to act on the resolution, said Carroll. She mentioned the two book groups facilitated by Dominican honors students last semester. The university is also working with Maywood to develop an immersion program.
“The next step is building the Community Advisory Committee,” said Carroll.
Sheila Radford-Hill, Chief Diversity Officer, was honored for her work in the role and given an ofrenda painting presented by Paul Simpson, Director for Civic Learning.
Facilitated racial healing circles in partnership with St. Luke Peace and Justice Committee and the Maywood Public Library followed the honoring of Radford-Hill.
Dominican senior Cecilia Winters-McCarthy attended the program and participated in the racial healing circles. She works for the Office for Civic Learning and was encouraged to attend the event by one of her professors.
“I tried to attend the event with as open of a mind as possible,” said Winters-McCarthy.
Her initial impression of the program was that it was a public relations effort to appease those that pressured the university to step up its efforts against racism.
“It was about how great Dominican was, not about how students can experience healing,” said Winters-McCarthy.
Her experience in the breakout rooms was different. It was “very much about individual experiences.”
Winters-McCarthy called the racial healing circles an insightful and inspiring experience after listening to the thoughts of people that lead very different lives than herself. Members of her racial healing circle labeled the program as “awesome, peaceful, insightful, amazing, interesting and enlightening.”
“The healing circles definitely brought very diverse people together not in agreement, but in good intentions, which allowed for honesty and understanding. I hope I can participate in similar future events, as I’m sure there will be many.”
rhuser@my.dom.edu
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