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Local organizations such as TRHT, the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Initiative partnered with the Black Belt Community Foundation alongside the Selma Center for Nonviolence organization Tuesday at noon online.

The local groups virtually discussed the history of systemic oppression and the steps they must take as they demand transformation in the communities of Selma, for years to come.

The theme for the roundtable virtual was “The Heart of Racial Equity”.

“The national day of Racial Healing is annual observance in the United States, created to foster truth telling, understanding and collaborative action to address the wounds of racism and to build equitable communities, established by the WK Kellogg foundation in 2017,” said Lydia Chatmon, Director of TRHT Selma and a significant member of the Black Belt Community foundation.

Chatmon said the day is typically observed on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which inspired the local groups of the city to collaborate and discuss the change that is happening within the city and the change that they would soon like to see in the upcoming future.

Chatmon said the day symbolically aligns with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of justice, equity and civil rights.

“The national day of Racial Healing, emphasizes that healing is a collective effort, requiring active participation from individuals, institutions and governments and it is a reminder of the power of shared humanity and the importance of dismantling all of the many barriers that have been created, that oftentimes prevent us from achieving more.” Today, we want to highlight the transformative work of the TRHT, Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Initiative, which was initially launched by Dr. Gail Christopher through the W.K. Kellogg foundation.”

Chatmon said the work of the TRHT organization stands on five core pillars: narrative change, racial healing and relationship building, separation, law and economy.

The narrative change pillar focuses on identifying and reshaping harmful stories, beliefs and stereotypes that perpetuate or keep carrying on racial hierarchies in Selma, a city with a rich but complex history tied to the Civil Rights Movement. TRHT Selma works to reclaim that narrative by amplifying authentic voices and celebrating the city’s history of resilience and activism.

“TRHT Selma also ensures that the stories we tell inspire unity rather than division,” Chatmon said.

After Chatmon described the initiative’s other pillars, community leaders such as the Selma Housing Authority Chief Operating Officer Cicely Curtis spoke about the housing authority’s latest federal initiative that aims at employment opportunities for low income families living in public housing.

“That initiative is Jobs Plus,” Curtis said. “Jobs Plus is a grant given from HUD, in the amount of $2.3 Million. I feel so excited! The program is designed to help residents in two of our developments, Felix Heights and GWC, George Washington Carver Homes, to be financially independent through job training, educational opportunities and other supportive services.”

Curtis said her and her team are excited because self-sufficiency is what they are all about and said through their latest initiative Jobs Plus, that’s what it aims to do.

“We know that racial healing is a broad societal goal that seeks to address and mend the divides created by systemic racism and discrimination. Our programs like Jobs Plus can contribute to the community in several ways: economic empowerment, community building and helps lift individuals and families out of poverty.”

The next community leader within the meeting who spoke was Raji Gourdine, who is the Assistant Dean of Workforce at Wallace Community College in Selma.

“We are excited at Wallace Community College to continue to serve our community,” Gourdine said. “One of the initiatives that we wanted to announce is our aviation program initiative which will start in the summer and include a mixture of summer camps for aviation.”

Gourdine said the initiative actually kicked off last summer where middle and high school students were enrolled that were interested in aviation careers.

“They received a chance to go to aviation locations around the state, visit the aviation program at Wallace and Craig Fields to learn about the different occupations that are in the field of Aviation.” We were excited that we received a $2 Million-dollar grant to start an aviation program at Craig Fields in Selma, Alabama.”

Gourdine said the program is open to dual enrollment students and also to adult students who want to learn how to be pilots, aviation maintenance technicians, including avionics technicians.

“There are many occupational careers in the field of Aviation that they can do, that are high paying, high-wage and high in demand,” said Gourdine.

During the online discussion, Judge Vernetta Perkins also spoke about the upcoming projects she has in place with the Children’s Policy Alliance that represents Selma-Dallas County.

“Something is happening in the air,” Perkins said. “Not only are we moving from dream to action, we are moving from chaos to community and that’s what we are doing with the Policy Alliance. Our goal is to re-imagine community and organize Selma to join the movement for Selma’s children.”

Perkins said the alliance has not launched as of yet but said even though it’s taking a while, they are still here and looking forward to launching in February.

“Before I get to the Policy Alliance, I want to come back to the courts for a second and highlight the warrant clinics and some other pieces that’s happening,” Perkins said. “Our goal is to bring justice to the community. So, in partnership with the PERC Initiative, with the Selma Center for Nonviolence, with the Selma Housing Authority, the beautiful thing about what we are doing with Policy Alliance is that everybody’s work is our work. Our goal is to align all the pieces together so that we can operate with one band, one sound doing this work.”

The Selma- Dallas Children’s Policy Alliance is committed to enhancing the wellbeing of Selma’s children and families, according to Perkins.

Perkins said through the alliance, they are bringing together stakeholders, educators, faith leaders and non-profit organizations, including families and youth to advocate, build, connect and to share solutions that address the systemic barriers that face the children and families of our community.

The last speaker of the live collaborative discussion was Ainka Jackson, who is the Executive Director of the Selma Center of Nonviolence organization and how she wants to also partner with those in the Selma Community to bring change and transformative results.

“At the center, we are focused on addressing violence, personal, racial and economic violence to help bridge, revise and build the beloved community and so, we can’t do that alone,” Jackson said. We are very clear that the first line of our mission is to partner with institutions.”

Jackson said whether it’s partnering with Black Belt Community Foundation, TRHT, to hear their voices monthly towards transformation through their “Chat and Choose” and “Chat and Chills” activities within their organization, or through a partnership with Wallace Community College in Selma, she is ready to collaborate, and bring forth change with all the other organizations in the community moving forward.