My guests on “Everyday Conversations on Race” are Wanda Whitaker, Peter Rubin and Gaylon Logan from Village Connect. This episode is “Race, Reconciliation and Transformation.”
Wanda Whitaker is African-American, a humanitarian, spiritual healer and visionary who brings people together to find their highest potential.
Peter Rubin is white, Jewish, 35 years old and an anti-racist facilitator. He was raised in a multi-cultural anti-racist environment but didn’t become aware of this white privilege until a few years ago which is when he was trained in anti-racist facilitation.
Gaylon Logan is African-American, a father, grandfather and founder of Village Connect a 501C3 who is a leader of CBTC- Culture Based Transformative Coaching. His mission and the mission of Village Connect is to build the capacity of people to be self-aware, self-directed and be empowered to have the life they want.
All three share their stories of how they came to be aware of race, racism and the need for racial reconciliation.
Key topics:
- Why we need to be human beings as opposed to human doings, and human “havings.”
- The trauma of racism, growing up in the south under segregation, and seeing the humiliation of Black people by racist, disgusting white people
- What Black people had to do in order to survive racism and the total impact of those survival tactics
- How Village Connect works with school age children to raise their self-esteem, and give kids the sense of self that so many lack in how they are raised
- Information alone doesn’t change people’s lives. You need to reach their hearts, engage with them and help them transform
- The impact and harm of being taught at an early age that it’s not ok for men to show feelings or cry in front of people
- Village Connect is a direct response to loss of humanity and brings people back to humanity
- How Wanda, and Peter are working with Gaylon on the Village Connect program, Race and Reconciliation, how to heal yourself from racism,” for white people
- Focusing on humanity as we work on race and reconciliation is one of the keys to transformation for all people