2022 Institute on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers

About the Institute

Among the most urgent challenges facing America today is the growing division across racial and ethnic identities. Increasing aversion to difference and rising distrust among communities nationally have left colleges and universities with the challenge of how to heal from the legacies and harm of racism and bias. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is partnering with higher education institutions to develop TRHT Campus Centers to prepare the next generation of strategic leaders and critical thinkers to promote racial healing and to catalyze efforts to address current inequities grounded in notions of a racial hierarchy. As a national, community-based initiative, the TRHT effort launched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation seeks to address the historical and contemporary impacts of race and racism within our communities. Each TRHT Campus Center prioritizes expansive, community-based healing activities that seek to change collective community narratives and broaden the understanding of our diverse experiences.

The Institute on TRHT Campus Centers is designed to help campus teams identify evidence-based strategies that support their vision of what their communities will look, feel, and be like when the belief in a hierarchy of human value no longer exists. Campus teams will establish strategic goals that align with both their institution's vision and the TRHT Framework, identify steps for achieving those goals, and develop plans for evaluation, communications, engagement, and sustainability.

Campus teams will participate in and design Rx Racial Healing® Circles, participate in workshops, and collaborate with experienced TRHT Campus Center mentors, workshop facilitators, and evaluation consultants to develop and/or refine their transformative campus action plans.

Campus Team Outcomes

• Develop a comprehensive action plan
• Design and participate in Rx Racial Healing® Circles
• Become a part of the growing, national TRHT Campus Centers network
• Become eligible to host a TRHT Campus Center

Who Should Apply?

Teams from any regionally accredited two- or four-year institution that are interested in learning more about the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Framework, have an interest in hosting a TRHT Campus Center at their institution, or are currently serving as a host institution are invited to apply. Institutional priorities and goals for advancing social justice and equitable communities should align strategically with the TRHT effort.

Click here to learn more about the Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation Campus Centers.

The application period is now closed. For additional information on the 2022 Institute on TRHT Campus Centers, send inquiries to Adair Appleton at [email protected].

Rx Racial Healing® Circles

What are Rx Racial Healing® Circles?

As the centerpiece of the TRHT Framework, Rx Racial Healing® Circles, are meant to ground the various elements of the TRHT methodology in a compassionate and expansive forum for sharing personal truth to help begin the process of transforming hearts and minds. The Rx Racial Healing® Circle methodology stresses active listening, being open to the perspectives and experiences of others, and is based on “building a national organizational network and activating local action to promote racial healing and racial equity.” ¹

Rx Racial Healing® Circles are co-facilitated by two experienced racial healing practitioners. Circles begin with an introductory exercise and are followed by a deep discussion prompt in which participants share stories in response to the prompt within an assigned dyad pair. Following the deep discussion prompt, the circle reconvenes, and participants are invited to share their stories with the whole group. The composition of circles and dyad pairs are planned in advance, to be as diverse as possible, including racial, age, gender, and geographic diversity for maximum healing.

After participating in an Rx Racial Healing® Circle co-facilitated by experienced practitioners, Institute participants will review the core elements of the racial healing process and gain experience designing and co-facilitating a simulated Rx Racial Healing® Circle.

¹ Dr. Gail C. Christopher at July 18, 2018 Helsinki Commission Briefing.