Kansas State University

K-State Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center celebrates National Day of Racial Healing

Submitted by Corey Williamson

Kansas State University's Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center team will celebrate the National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The National Day of Racial Healing is a time to contemplate our shared values and create a blueprint together for how we heal from the effects of racism. Launched on Jan. 17, 2017, National Day of Racial Healing is an opportunity to bring all people together in their common humanity to inspire collective action and create a more just and equitable world. 

Kansas State University and the Manhattan community will celebrate racial healing alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations through the following programs and events:

• The MLK Community Prayer Breakfast will take place at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the Douglass Center, 900 Yuma Street in Manhattan. Join the Manhattan community in prayer, reflection and breakfast as Rana Johnson, K-State's inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, will serve as the keynote speaker. Johnson will present "Proactive Pivot: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

• The National Day of Racial Healing 2023: Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation virtual event will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the K-State Student Union courtyard. The campus community is invited to join the Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation for a virtual screening of "Racial Healing, Hope and 'The Solidarity Dividend.'" The video recording features renowned mother-daughter duo Gail Christopher, Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation movement leader, and Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author of "The Sum of Us," in conversation with Charmaine Royal, Duke Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center director.

• The MLK Day of Service is Saturday, Jan. 21. The Day of Service will consist of multiple service projects that take place simultaneously at different sites across the city of Manhattan. All members of the Manhattan community are invited to give back through this day of service. Contact Karina Moncayo-Michel at karinamichel@k-state.edu to learn how you can get involved.

• MLK Observance Week, "Together We Can Be The Dream," is Monday, Jan. 23, through Friday, Jan. 27. It has been 55 years since Martin Luther King Jr. visited K-State in 1968, advocating for nonviolent approaches to remedy social tensions and lead our nation into the future. We're proud of our connection to King, and we celebrate his legacy through campus events and in our hearts. Join us as we celebrate his legacy through our weeklong program. Programs and events have been planned and organized by the Department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs and collaborating departments throughout campus.

In November 2022, K-State joined 71 higher education institutions that host a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center. The American Association of Colleges and Universities has adopted the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation framework and has a goal to implement campus centers at 150 institutions of higher education. The program works with higher education institutions to prepare the next generation of leaders to break down systemic racism and dismantle belief in a hierarchy of human value. The K-State Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center is a collaborative effort between the Division of Student Life and the office of the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.