Module Objectives:

Reflect on the mental, emotional, and physical impacts of racism
Consider strategies to restore wholeness and address the impacts of racism
Embrace critical self-analysis, environmental assessment, and community-building as drivers of our racial equity consciousness development

Reflection Exercises:

Reflecting on Acknowledging Racial Trauma

Defining Narratives – What does acknowledging racial trauma mean to you?
1. Cite specific resources (activities, articles, books, historical/contemporary events, images, infographics, personal experiences, quotes, videos, social media, etc.) that help you best articulate your consciousness (dispositions + knowledge + awareness + skills) toward acknowledging racial trauma.
2. What key insights or lessons have you gained from these resources?
Visualizing Opportunities – How do you see yourself acknowledging racial trauma?
1. What areas of opportunity can you engage personally to acknowledge racial trauma?
2. What areas of opportunity can you engage with your communities of influence to acknowledge racial trauma?
Cultivating Commitments – How can you develop your consciousness to acknowledge racial trauma?
1. What consciousness development techniques and strategies can you cultivate personally to acknowledge racial trauma?
2. What consciousness development techniques and strategies can you cultivate collectively with your communities of influence to acknowledge racial trauma?

Reflecting on Fostering Racial Healing

Defining Narratives – What does fostering racial healing mean to you?
1. Cite specific resources (activities, articles, books, historical/contemporary events, images, infographics, personal experiences, quotes, videos, social media, etc.) that help you best articulate your consciousness (dispositions + knowledge + awareness + skills) toward fostering racial healing.
2. What key insights or lessons have you gained from these resources?
Visualizing Opportunities - How do you see yourself fostering racial healing?
1. What areas of opportunity can you engage personally to foster racial healing?
2. What areas of opportunity can you engage with your communities of influence (familial, organizational, professional, residential, social, spiritual, etc.) to foster racial healing?
Cultivating Commitments - How can you develop your consciousness to foster racial healing?
1. What consciousness development techniques and strategies can you cultivate personally to foster racial healing?
2. What consciousness development techniques and strategies can you cultivate collectively with your communities of influence to foster racial healing?

Reflection Resources:

Suggested Viewing:

Understanding Racial Trauma

Racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress, is the collective effect racism has on an individual's mental and physical health. Time: 04:23.

How Racism Makes Us Sick

Why does race matter so profoundly for health? David R. Williams developed a scale to measure the impact of discrimination on well-being, going beyond traditional measures like income and education to reveal how factors like implicit bias, residential segregation, and negative stereotypes create and sustain inequality. In this eye-opening talk, Williams presents evidence for how racism is producing a rigged system -- and offers hopeful examples of programs across the US that are working to dismantle discrimination. Time: 17:27.

Rx Racial Healing | Dr. Gail Christopher | TEDxCharlottesville

An award-winning social change agent, Dr. Gail Christopher, depicts how our collective and individual healing from centuries of believing in a false hierarchy of humanity is the prescription for the 21st century. Dr. Gail Christopher is an award-winning social change agent with expertise in the social determinants of health and well-being and in related public policies. She is known for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse. Dr. Christopher recently retired from her role as Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she was the driving force behind the America Healing initiative and the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort.

VOICES: Pittsburghers on Racism and Resilience

Pittsburghers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds share their encounters with racism and discrimination in this region. They reflect on their personal healing while offering thoughts on the challenges and possibilities for change.

Suggested Reading:

The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing by Anneliese A. Singh

The Racial Healing Handbook offers practical tools to help readers navigate daily and past experiences of racism, challenge internalized negative messages and privileges, and handle feelings of stress and shame. Readers will also learn to develop a profound racial consciousness and conscientiousness, and heal from grief and trauma. Most importantly, readers will discover the building blocks to creating a community of healing in a world still filled with racial microaggressions and discrimination. This book is not just about ending racial harm--it is about racial liberation.

Suggested Websites to Review:

Reflection Exercises:

Additional University Resources