The Oneness of Humankind: Healing Racism Today

The guiding principle behind the healing of racism is the Oneness of Humankind. This is not an old concept warmed over. It is knowledge about our collective capacity to reach deep into the human spirit and solve the most complex challenges of our time. The compound problem of race and other issues such as poverty only can be resolved with the acceptance and understanding of our human oneness. The pressing need is to be unified in all essential aspects of human life, yet infinite in our diversity. This article describes the work of the Institutes for Healing Racism, which involves intensive two-day experiences that move beyond tolerance to create deep learning. These result in new cognitive and emotional understanding among persons who had not previously experienced deep meaningful relationships across racial divides. To understand how racism distorts reality, many beliefs must be reconstructed. The stories of healing racism involve transformational, emotional experiences. Genuine human interactions are blended with specific subject matter, including: (1) Recognizing that racism is an emotional commitment to dysfunctional beliefs; (2) Understanding the pervasive impact of White privilege; (3) Recognizing the effect of institutional or structural racism; (4) Embracing the Oneness of Humankind; and (5) Taking new steps in the Healing Racism journey.