A realization of the Presence of God is the most powerful
healing agency known to the mind of humans.

— Ernest Holmes, “The Science of Mind”

Race Literacy:
The Path of Collective Reconciliation

By Ayodele McClenny

Milagros Phillips says that if we are to step into our grand rising as a global family, we must come to terms with the impacts of race and racism.

“We have never educated our world to be race literate,” Phillips says. “Race literacy is the knowledge and awareness of the history of race, how one is acculturated into a racial caste, the systems in the nation-state that support race as a human divide, and the impact of all of the above on our current events and individual lives.” …

Phillips realized that if Black and Brown people create stories in response to White supremacy, then White people must create stories to sustain racism. She believes 500 years of conditioning, during which people of African descent were labeled and treated as less than human, is not a barrier to healing racism. Rather, it is an untruth that must be corrected.

People of Color must heal from the trauma of slavery. They must address and heal from the patterns and behaviors they adopted to heal from dysfunctional behaviors like colorism, a survival practice created in the culture of racism. Phillips asserts that it is crucial for the White community to recognize and empathize with the trauma that communities of color endure due to racism.

“In the end,” she says, “we are one human family living in one global village. And we have one human family history.” She adds, “Racism is a problem for People of Color, not the problem of People of Color.” She emphasizes that White individuals must confront and heal from the misinformation their ancestors and their communities propagated about Black and Brown communities and take responsibility for combating racism. Her belief is that White people must heal from both the burden and trauma of propagating miseducation and the resultant supremacy teachings, actions she acknowledges may be barriers for some. …

She concludes with a powerful message: Healing is the missing piece in our discussions about race. “Healing is an act of courage,” she asserts. She reminds us that we are all part of one global human family, and our choices from this point forward rest entirely in our hands. She reinforces the concept of “race literacy,” which encourages us to recognize the connection between our past and present and to use this understanding to shape a better future.

“Who do you want to be in the human family?” she asks.

—Excerpted from the February 2024 Science of Mind magazine

Changing the Status Quo

By Rev. Dr. Andriette Earl

I often hear folks I wish would behave as allies and advocates engage in discourse around not being responsible for slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, and separate and unequal housing, schools and policing. It is obvious to me that while so many benefited for generations from these and other inequities, far fewer see themselves stepping forward to acknowledge and take responsibility and accountability for current inequities.

When we study our common history, we may not perceive ourselves to be responsible for slavery and systemic oppression. However, we are all accountable for setting right the truth of our past and working to create a just and fair future.

This is a call out to everyone in divine discomfort, everyone with a heart for freedom, justice and equality. There is a higher calling for us to be and do from an intention of freedom, peace, justice and equality for all.

This is also about change, about changing how we are and how we deepen our listening and act in alignment with what we say we believe. This call to action is to not just hear each other but to listen and respond with understanding, acceptance, support and love.

Sometimes change occurs through individual advocacy, through policy reform, through protests, boycotts or lawsuits. Sometimes a photo speaks a thousand words. Remember the iconic photo of a young man blocking a line of military tanks at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989? He and that photo remain powerful symbols of courage and defiance.

If our intention is to change the status quo, we need more allies, advocates and co-conspirators to demonstrate commitment, clarity and courage in defying our current oppressive models

—Daily Guide for February 8, 2024, Science of Mind magazine