The Racial Equity Circle works toward racial equity, because we believe transforming structural racism within our communities, our movements, and our lives is necessary to achieve collective liberation. In 2016 CPC’s Racial Equity Circle:
- Convened over 50 people for Black Love, Black Joy, Black Healing Day to celebrate ourselves and hold a healing space for Black people in our community.
- Held an eight-week racial equity training and explored internalized oppression and internalized superiority for people of African descent. The training provided a healing space while strengthening participants’ analyses of structural racism and abilities to make change within their spheres of influence.
- Convened Faith 4 Justice, a collective of inter-religious faith leaders provoking racial justice, and organized a prayerful procession on All Saints Day to publicly lament the impact of urbanization and to cry out against state sanctioned violence against black and brown bodied persons.
- Led a training for the leadership team of Asheville City Schools, which included school principals, the superintendent, and Asheville City Schools Foundation board members.
- Provided introductory racial equity training to “Word on the Street”/”La Voz los Jóvenes” youth, a group of 16 Black and Latinx teens who have created an arts and social justice online magazine with original content.
