OXFORD, Miss. – Racial injustice and pain have been brought to the national forefront by the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. University of Mississippi organizers hope to create a space for healing, allyship and community action through a new Stronger Together Dialogue Series.
The Stronger Together event, which will be hosted virtually at 6 p.m. Wednesday (June 3), will give the UM family an opportunity to heal and work together around the issue of racial injustice. Students, faculty, staff and community members seeking to attend can RSVP by filling out this form.
“We know that there are going to be times like this that grip our community and we want to be sure we have a response and framework in place for addressing these kinds of pervasive and painful situations,” said EJ Edney, director of inclusion and cross cultural engagement. “Healing, allyship and action are the three main pillars of response we need to focus on to create a stronger community and better world.”
The themes of healing, allyship and action will be at the center of the dialogue series, Edney said.
Wednesday’s online discussion, which represents the healing component, will offer participants an opportunity to process recent events in an identity-conscious space while providing resources for continued healing.
Future events in the series will center on allyship and collective action.
After the event, the organizers will collect input from the discussion as well as participant surveys to aid in the formation of events to follow in the series.
The discussion will be hosted by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, University Counseling Center, Black Student Union and Associated Student Body.
“Our UM family is hurting right now,” ASB President Joshua Mannery said. “There hasn’t been a direct opportunity for our students to unpack the exhaustive collective trauma that comes with being people of color in America right now.
“This is our chance to address the uncomfortable and unite behind a shared sense of community.”
Participants will hear a brief primer on America’s history of racial injustice from Anthony Siracusa, director of community engagement; learn what it means to heal cultural wounds from Monica Coleman, UCC counselor; hear from student leaders such as Mannery; and have an opportunity to speak themselves.
Anyone interested in attending must register before 5 p.m. Wednesday to get a Zoom link to participate.