Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has designated Jan. 19 as the day of racial healing to recognize and heal from racial, ethnic and religious bias.
At Central Michigan University, the campus community is working to promote these efforts in their own way.
In honor of Martin Luther King Junior Day, the university held events and virtual meetings throughout the week to celebrate his legacy and educate the community, including the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 18.
Director of CMU's Office of Diversity Education, Nikita Murry said both the national and local efforts to encourage racial healing are important to begin engaging in these difficult conversations.
"Racial healing can seem like it’s intimidating," Murry said. "People can sometimes be hesitant to jump into the dialogue because they are afraid to make a mistake but those things can happen if you do nothing."
Murry said one way people can look at the idea of racial healing is to understand other peoples' experiences whether it be in the past or present.
"The big part is being open to understanding what the hurt is," she said. "You can’t heal from what you don’t know. And, we can’t be mad at people for not healing your wound if you don’t tell them how you’re wounded. So, it goes both ways."
More events at CMU are to be held by the Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) office next month for Black History Month.
