In the wake of the 2024 election season, Essence sat down with W.K. Kellogg Foundation President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron to discuss her forthcoming book How We Heal, which makes a powerful case for hope through racial healing. Below, Tabron talks about why she wrote the book, the promise of racial healing, and why we need it now more than ever.

We just came out of an extremely polarizing election season. Americans are deeply divided—a poll conducted by Johns Hopkins University in late October found that nearly half of Americans think members of the opposing party are “evil.” Your forthcoming book, How We Heal, discusses how we got here and how we can find common ground through the practice of racial healing. Let’s start with the basics: what is racial healing?

TABRON: Racial healing is a practice with roots in Indigenous communities that harness our shared, deeply human need for connection. It starts with truth-telling and solidarity-building and asks us to confront uncomfortable realities about our histories, society, and unconscious beliefs.

One of its most potent tools is the racial healing circle, a powerful technique I’ve seen used successfully across various communities and identities throughout the United States and the world. In these circles, facilitators help participants share their experiences in an environment free of blame or shame. These dialogues are, by definition, not easy—but where other conversations tend to break down, healing work helps us “stay in the room” by giving us the tools to work through difficult emotions when they pop up.

When we do that, something remarkable happens. People begin to see their shared humanity. Relationships emerge. With these relationships in place and racial healing work happening, communities can begin to address the racism that has rooted itself in the many systems, structures, and institutions that give shape and meaning to our lives.

Read the full article about racial healing amidst polarization at Essence.