As a privileged white woman, I am committed to learning, growing and teaching anti-racism work. Since I also serve as the Founding Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Living North Jersey, I invite you to check out the work we are doing, including book studies, resources and events
If you believe that no one is free until all are free and would like to make your passion matter, this invitation is for you.
We are inviting you to participate in a 10-week book study.
We will provide:
•Trained facilitators
•Love, Compassion, and gentle guidance
•Experienced listening
As a participant, you will be responsible to:
•Attend the KICK-OFF JANUARY 24 @ 7:30 pm ET: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuirrTsoGNcvkSjj7TqraMX-JfXDNC_N
•Purchase the physical book and read the material
•Show up each week on time (dates & time TBA)
•Complete all assignments in the book
•Be open to your own implicit bias
•Fill out the feedback form at the completion of the program and be present for an optional Zoom wrap-up.
The Racial Healing Handbook
If you are interested in being a book study facilitator, fill out the form here
SANDY FRIED, TEAM LEADER
Bala Cynwyd, PA
I was challenged by a bi-racial friend 10 years ago to “do my work.” I heard her from my heart and soul and have been in the process ever since.
Sandy's group is on zoom, Tuesdays, 10:30 am, 2/21-3/28, ninety minutes each
REGISTER WITH SANDY
TRACY AHMADIAN, RScP, FAMILY GROUP LEADER
I am here because I am willing to be a courageous and vulnerable learner who is driven to stay in the conversation.
Tracy's group is on zoom, Tuesdays, 6:30 pm, 1/21 - 3/7, ninety minutes each.
REGISTER WITH TRACY
VEDA KING BLANCHARD, FAMILY GROUP LEADER
Chesterfield, VA
I'm grateful for this opportunity to facilitate self-inquiries and conversations related to race. I believe that uncovering and facing the biases we each hold brings healing and helps us show up as the allies our BIPOC communities need.
Veda King Blanchand's group is on zoom, Thursdays, 7 pm starting February 2.-2-23
REGISTER WITH VEDA
REV. JUDE DENNING, TEAM LEADER
Stuart, FL
I'm here because I took my head out of the sand and realized that this work of equality and equity for black and brown people is mine to do.
Rev. Jude's group is on zoom, Thursdays, 6 pm, 2/9 - 3/16, ninety minutes each.
REGISTER WITH JUDE
REV. DR. MICHELLE WADLEIGH, TEAM LEADER
Denville, FL
I am dedicated to being an active and passionate ally willing to do what's hard and stay in the conversation.
Dr. Michelle's group is on zoom, Mondays, 1 pm, 2/6 - 3/13
REGISTER WITH MICHELLE
Homer Plessy
An African American named Homer Plessy predated Rosa Parks' famous refusal to comply with racist transportation laws by more than 60 years. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction for sitting in a whites-only train car in Plessy v. Ferguson, leading to the Jim Crow era. Discover hard history and how "separate but equal" was far from equal.
THE FREEMAN FIELD MUTINY
Many of us have heard of the Tuskegee Airman, but do you know the story of the Freeman Field Mutiny? In 1945, after the heroic and superb performance of the fighter squadrons in WWII, 5 officers from the legendary Red Tail Angels were stationed at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana, along with other Black officers from around the country.
At this base, segregation was practiced and enforced staunchly under the command of Col. Robert Selway. In order to maintain a certain base protocol, 400 African American officers were listed as "trainees", whereas, their 250 White counterparts were listed as "instructors". The base protocol assigned African American officers to Officer's Club #1, an old dilapidated building badly in need of repairs. White officers were assigned to the new, comfortable, and fully functioning Officer's Club #2.
The African American pilots decided to take action. Organized by Lt. Coleman Young, a group of African American officers requested entry into Club #2. They were denied. A half hour later another group requested entry into Club #2 and when they were denied entry, Lt. Marsden Thompson brushed past the officer on duty and the others followed without incident. Later that evening other Black officers followed.
The next day over 60 African American officers was arrested. This prompted a base order, called Regulation 85-2, to be issued from Gen. Hunter and Col. Selway officially assigning officers to clubs by race and specifying strict segregation of housing, dining halls, and officer's clubs. It also stated that any violation would result in confinement.
Selway called all the African American officers assigned at Freeman Field together and ordered them to sign a statement that they had read and agreed with Regulation 85-2. This was done despite US Army Regulation 210-10 which strictly forbade segregation of public facilities on military installations, thereby requiring officer's clubs to be open to all, regardless of race.
One hundred and one African American officer refused to sign the statement. This refusal to obey a direct order from a superior officer in time of war could have ultimately been punishable by death. But word of the arrests spread and the arrested officers were transferred back to Godman Field and placed under arrest with armed guard and guard dogs. By contrast, the German prisoners of war being held there had complete freedom of movement on the premises. In fact, they mocked the African American officers for the treatment they were receiving at the hands of their own country.
As the news spread via the African American press, labor unions, and Congress, pressure was put on the War Department to drop the charges against the officers. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall issued orders to release the officers on April 23, 1945. One hundred and one officers were released with General Hunter placing a letter of reprimand in each of their files. Three of the officers were held over for trial. Two were fined and released. One, Lt. Roger Terry, was court-martialed, fined, suffered loss of rank, and dishonorably discharged from the Army for "jostling".
In 1995 under President William H. Clinton, the reprimands were removed from the permanent files of 15 of the officers, and the Army agreed to remove the others upon request. Lt. Terry received a full pardon, restoration of rank, and fine repaid.
The "Freeman Field Mutiny" was a first step that set the pace for the non-violent protests and sit-ins of the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement.
JUNE 19TH IS A FEDERAL HOLIDAY
Signed into law in 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863 and the Union Army ended the Civil War on April 12, 1865, the most remote state of the Confederacy, Texas, was without enforcement. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger announced and enforced ORDER 3 in Galveston, Texas, to cease all institutionalized slavery in America.
Also called Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth has been celebrated in America since 1866. Initially it was a Texas church-centered celebration with singing of hymns and the wearing of new clothes to represent the new freedom. It spread throughout the southern states as former enslaved Africans commemorated the date with feasts, music and family reunions. As a result of the Jim Crow laws, the migrations brought the anniversary celebrations to the north and within a few years it was an annual event in many states. It was declared a state holiday in Texas in 1980.
Present day celebrations include honoring ancestral traditions and cultures, educational speeches and storytelling, as well as festivals, music and food.
CSLNJ pays tribute to this important day and strives to make this ideal of equal rights a reality.
Bryan Stevenson, social justice advocate
Believes in redemption, justice and mercy. His great grandparents were enslaved. As a child, he experienced segregated and desegregated schools. His experience shows that when schools desegregated, they still held onto the old rules of segregation, keeping separate doors for blacks and whites, separate water fountains, as well as black and white children playing separately. Despite the racism around him, his philosophy was born from the truth that values redemption over revenge.
Civil Right Alabama Tour Group
We have all arrived home safely from our Civil Rights Tour, but not the same. No one who attended that journey will ever be the same again. The journey was impactful in ways expected and unexpected. Within the next couple of weeks, we are scheduling a zoom call that you can listen in on and at the end, we will provide a Q&A.
Next year we are heading to Washington DC. Be on the lookout for more information.
Book and Movie Recommendations
Healing the Divide is a dedicated committee to ongoing anti-racism work.
Under the leadership of Mo de Brito, Regina McLoughlin, and Rev. Michelle this committee will be offering inspiration and education.
Movie: The Hate U Give
Watch the trailer here and see additional information on the movie
This heart-wrenching book tells the true story of Anthony Ray Hinton, a 29 black man who was wrongfully charged with two counts of Capital murder by an all-white jury, in 1985 rural Alabama. Mr. Hinton was sentenced to death by electrocution and spent the next 30 years on death row. He survived those years, transforming not only his life but the lives of his fellow inmates. He was living proof that “you can take away a man’s freedom, but you can’t take away his imagination, humor or joy.
After many failed attempts at parole, Bryan Stevenson, a civil rights attorney, learned about Hinton’s case and decided to take the case on.
In 2015, Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison and has remained a free man ever since.
From Our Last Book Study
Healing the Divide was born from tragedy. In the past three years, the leadership of Healing the Divide has been dedicated to educating individuals and inspiring change. In this subsequent book study, we are using the book called Mindful of Race by Ruth King. This book guides us in the application of meditation and mindfulness for the purpose of healing our unconscious racist tendencies.