During these unsettling times, many hearts and minds require healing, particularly in regard to race-linked issues. Toward that end, I was asked by the President of Ubiquity University, Jim Garrison, to put together a five-part series of panel discussions for an ongoing virtual global summit, called Humanity Rising: A Global Solutions Summit. I titled the five-part series “Humanity’s Reckoning With Its Race-Linked Wounds: Healing and Repair At Individual and Collective Levels.” These panel discussions took place in April 2022.
As a species, Humanity is seeking to evolve its individual and Collective Consciousness. Various segments of Humanity are now nurturing the unfolding of this process. As this process unfolds, Humanity is being challenged to reckon with the many wounds that it/we have caused or allowed to fester individually and collectively. One of those wounds is what can be called our race-linked wounds. If Humanity is to evolve its Collective Consciousness, therefore, it is important to reckon with its race-linked wounds, for these wounds require healing and repair. Otherwise, our individual and Collective Consciousness will continue to remain stuck in playing what can be called our Security Human Race Games, our Sensory Human Race Games, and our Power Human Race Games (see my award-winning book, Evolving The Human Race Game). All three of these Human Race Games are ego-driven, fueled by fear, and they represent our individual and collective struggles to deal with two basic universal creative questions for Humanity: (1) how best to achieve Balance and Cooperation as a species and (2) how best to achieve Equity as we construct our notions about our perceived racial selves and as we construct our societal and institutional structures and practices and various cultural norms. To explore these two basic creative questions, the intent of this five-part series was to bring together a variety of voices to share their “lived experiences” as they have sought to reckon with and to help others reckon with race-linked wounds, healing, and repair work. It was/is hoped that these sessions can serve as mirrors for individual and collective repair work as Humanity seeks to reckon with its race-linked wounds.
Following is a description of and a link to each of the videoed sessions. I invite each reader to view all or any of these sessions that call to you and to share them in ways that make sense to you.
April 4th is the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The purpose of this session was/is not only to acknowledge and celebrate the monumental contributions that Dr. King made in his attempts to assist humanity in reckoning with its race-linked wounds, but additionally to call attention to the substantive repair work that is still required. In that light, Black leaders are faced with numerous challenges in a variety of arenas. More specifically, in this session, we want to shine a special light on the “lived experiences” of the panelists as Black educators and community leaders, and what they view as unfinished business in the world of education and community engaged work. Through brief presentations and discussion, the goal was/is to provide an informative overview perspective, based on the “lived experiences” of Black educators and community leaders, about the kinds of issues they face and how they have attempted to deal with them. The intention was/is only to present one of many lenses through which to view some of humanity’s remaining challenges for healing and repair work.
Humanity’s reckoning with its race-linked wounds is an unfolding process. In this context, the rise of younger Black voices regarding race relations is important for healing and repair work in a variety of arenas. This is not a new phenomenon, as historically younger Black voices have always played this kind of role in the past. However, these are unique times, unlike any in the past. The question confronting Humanity now is will we choose to evolve our individual and Collective Consciousness or not. Where young Black voices point their Consciousness is significant as they may serve as clues for where and how energy can get directed for present and future healing and repair work. The purpose of this session, therefore, was/is to bring together a few of those rising younger Black voices to share their perspectives on where and how they are pointing their individual and collective Consciousness for healing and repair work regarding race relations.
Humanity’s reckoning with its race-linked wounds requires entertaining thoughts, ideas, and images about alternative ways to play the human race game. It requires a realization that we consciously create our realities from the inside out in alignment with our spiritual selves or soul-centered selves. How we consciously view our spiritual selves or soul-centered selves therefore matters when thinking anew about our racial selves and race relations. To explore the “birthing” of a new Consciousness for playing the human race game anew, this session calls us to listen to and to engage with the voices and perspectives of some Black women as they talk about spiritual or soul-centered ways to play the human race game anew. What does it mean to play the human race game anew, using spiritual or soul-centered perspectives or approaches?
This was/is a special session that brings together voices from the Association for Humanistic Psychology in the U.S (AHP) and in Britain (AHPb). As Humanity reckons with its race-linked wounds, we suggest that humanistic psychology can serve as a helpful framework to assist with this unfolding process. Humanistic psychology promotes growth through heightened awareness and self-understanding, body/mind integration and a focus on well-being. A humanistic approach also promotes collaboration with a basic belief in each person’s resources for healing and health. Humanistic psychology is interested in how people are influenced by their self-perceptions and the personal meanings attached to their experiences. As a framework, humanistic psychology can assist people in living more in the present; it is not concerned with instinctual drives, responses to external stimuli, or past experiences. While humanistic psychology and positive psychology both can be helpful frameworks for Humanity’s reckoning with its race-linked wounds and both focus on similar concerns, they have differences regarding methodology and epistemology. In terms of methodology, for example, humanistic psychology prefers qualitative approaches over quantitative approaches, whereas positive psychology tends to hold the opposite preference. In this regard, therefore, it can be argued that humanistic psychology can serve as a framework for how to better focus our individual and Collective Consciousness on the quality of “lived experiences.”
There are numerous manifestations of race-linked wounds that are currently “visible” and “inviable” at both individual and collective levels. The wounds show up as racial and social barriers and disparities, economic inequities, sexual and domestic violence, disparities in employment and economic opportunities. One key to overcoming these barriers and disparities is self and community empowerment. When confronted with these race-linked wounds, the underlying and essential question is how best to manage and/or heal these race-linked wounds at individual and collective levels. The intention of this session, therefore, was/is to stimulate thought about this underlying question, to discuss some of these generic race-linked wounds more deeply, and to explore how best to manage and/or heal them. Through presentations and discussion, the intention was/is to inspire Hope for Humanity moving closer to successfully reckoning with its race-linked wounds. to invite deep examination of self-limiting beliefs that currently fuel these wounds, and to request that people dare to evolve their individual and Collective Consciousness in such a way that they embrace new anti-racist and health-promoting beliefs for repairing race-linked wounds.
It is my hope that readers can find creative ways to constructively view and use these sessions to begin a process of healing their race-linked wounds and to expand their Consciousness individually and collectively. For example, discussion groups or family gatherings can be created whereby participants can be asked to view various sessions prior to a meeting or gathering. The viewed session(s), then, could serve as a topic for discussion and reflection. It is time for Humanity to find creative and constructive ways to reckon with its race-linked wounds and to evolve our individual and Collective Consciousness. We each have gentle, nurturing roles to play in regard to healing ourselves and to assist others in healing themselves. It is not accidental, therefore, that you chose to read this article. The time to act is Now.
Dr. Carroy (Cuf) Ferguson, Ph.D.
