Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Enough. Time to Build: Racial healers are stepping up in Flint, Mich.

Map showing Flint, Mich.
NoDerog/Getty Images

Harwood is president and founder of The Harwood Institute. This is the latest entry in his series based on the "Enough. Time to Build.” campaign, which calls on community leaders and active citizens to step forward and build together.

Flint, Mich., is known nationally for everything that is wrong with it. Water crisis. Persistent poverty. Crime. Lost automotive jobs. Declining population. But I just returned to Flint for a series of “Enough. Time to Build.” campaign events, 25 years after I worked with the community — and there’s a lot right with this town. In fact, Flint is a rising symbol of how America can build together.

I got into Flint late on a Tuesday. Just hours later I was meeting with a group of 15 or so Flint residents who call themselves racial healing practitioners, in advance of a public event the following day. They came from all parts of town. They included Black, Latino and white folks, among others. They were different ages and income levels. In short, they reflected the rich diversity of Flint. They reflected much of America.


It was an especially frigid night, which is saying something given Michigan‘s notorious winters. But people braved the cold and came out. We spent two hours together in folding chairs around plastic tables. We talked about the meaning of their work and how they can deepen and accelerate it. At a time of rampant division, pervasive mistrust and lost hope in our society, what emerged is a story of perseverance, grit, progress and authentic hope.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

One individual, a middle-aged Black man, was particularly vocal. He called Flint’s journey as a community, and more specifically its efforts combating racism, an “ongoing struggle.” His voice rose at times, his frustration palpable. Much more progress is needed, he declared. He’s tired of waiting.

And yet, this man and others in the room spoke of the remarkable progress their shared efforts were producing. They told me about how their racial healing work had catalyzed a chain reaction of actions in Flint that was spreading throughout the community, extending well beyond racial healing.

It begins with their own group. Amid so much loneliness and isolation in our lives, these racial healing practitioners had created a special home for themselves — a place where they could connect and be vulnerable about the difficult issues facing Flint and in their own lives. A noticeable quiet came over the once noisy room as different individuals testified to the bonds of trust they had forged with one another — indeed, the love they had come to share for one another. We all long for such trust, connection and belonging.

They had been trained to hold racial healing circles, bringing people together from across Flint to have hard conversations about race and racism. These aren’t easy conversations anywhere or at any time. There has been much written about how such conversations can blow up, even lead to more acrimony and division. But they said people throughout the community are yearning for these conversations. They keep holding them, and people keep coming. Demand is going up, not down. Something noteworthy is happening in Flint.

I often say that “talk alone” won’t solve the problems we face today. I have come to firmly believe this. We need to build together, and that’s what they are doing in Flint. The conversations they’re holding are rippling into various organizations and institutions, which is prompting concrete action to change how these groups relate to the community and do their work. For years, Flint’s organizations expected residents to change according to their plans; now, organizations are changing to meet residents where they are. This is producing new initiatives and programs at places like the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Flint Neighborhoods United and the Sloan Museum of Discovery.

I launched our “Enough. Time to Build.” campaign because I believe the change we need in this country is going to come from local communities. These racial healers are demonstrating that behaviors, mindsets and norms can shift, and that healing can occur. This is what we need to see more of across the country.

As the hours passed that evening, I kept looking around the room, and I kept thinking to myself how special that group was. The diversity and different lived experiences. The passion and practicality. The strength and vulnerability. The obstacles and the progress. The frustration and the sense of hope.

So much of our society is wrapped around pushing division, hate, bigotry, despair and winning at any cost. Yet here are the healers. Everyday folks doing remarkable things. They are builders in the truest sense. Creators of something stronger, better, more inclusive. They are agents of hope.

One racial healer already emailed to continue the conversation. There’s more work to do in Flint just like there is across our nation.

Read More

Storytelling that exposes injustices and inspires equity
- YouTube

Storytelling that exposes injustices and inspires equity

Stephanie R. Toliver is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction focusing on English Education and Adolescent/Secondary Literacy.

In her research, Toliver employs creativity and imagination to confront systemic inequities and promote more equitable education environments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Black History Matters Act reintroduced amid debate on education and DEI policies

Students in a classroom.

Getty Images, Solskin

Black History Matters Act reintroduced amid debate on education and DEI policies

A year ago, Karsonya Wise Whitehead helped introduce Freedom Schools, a free program dedicated to helping raise student literacy while providing education on Black History for all ages.

Dr. Whitehead—president of the Association for the Study of African American Life (ASALH), which runs the Freedom Schools—works to advance public knowledge about Black history through various programs. According to Whitehead, at least 12 states have direct mandates to teach Black history in schools, but a recent piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) looks to change that.

Keep ReadingShow less
"Diversity," "Equity" and "Inclusion" on wood blocks

"Diversity," "Equity" and "Inclusion" on wood blocks

Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images

Dismantling DEI Reinforces America's Original Sin

When President Trump signed Executive Order 14151, titled "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," on January 20, 2025, he didn't just eliminate diversity initiatives from federal agencies—he set in motion a sweeping transformation of the federal workforce.

The order, which terminated all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related activities across federal departments and rescinded existing affirmative action guidelines, sent shockwaves through government institutions and contractors alike. Universities began scrubbing their websites and canceling diversity events, while federal agencies scrambled to dismantle programs built over decades. The order's immediate impact was so concerning that by February 21, 2025, a federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, temporarily halting its implementation. But beyond the immediate practical implications, the executive order did something far more insidious: it codified a dangerous myth that America has somehow transcended its need to actively pursue equality.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Power of the Classroom: Why Diversity in Higher Education Matters

A professor assisting students.

Pexels, Andy Barbour

The Power of the Classroom: Why Diversity in Higher Education Matters

After the first class of the semester, a student waited patiently as I answered questions. When he finally stepped forward, he introduced himself, shook my hand, and shared that his high school teacher had advised him to do so. He was the first in his family to attend college, and his family had traveled across the state from their rural town to drop him off. My class was his first college class, and I was his first college professor. His sincerity moved me—I felt the weight of the moment and the privilege of being part of his journey.

A university education is more than lectures and exams; it’s a gateway to opportunity, transformation, and belonging. Diversity in the classroom isn’t just important—it’s essential. As a faculty member who studies leadership in post-secondary education, I see both the challenges and opportunities within higher education. The lack of diversity at top institutions impacts not just who enters our classrooms, but how students experience their education. Representation matters, and universities must reflect the diverse realities of the students they serve.

Keep ReadingShow less