Towards Truth and healing: Gratitude for the Racial Justice Conference

The Racial Justice Conference: Toward Truth and Healing was held on April 5, 2025, at Ascension Lutheran Church in Green Bay, gathering participants from across the East Central Synod of Wisconsin and beyond for a day of learning, worship, and community. Framed by the call of Micah 6:8, the event opened with healing drum music and devotions led by Bishop Anne Edison-Albright.

Keynote speaker Vance Blackfox offered an essential foundation in Indigenous history and identity,” followed by breakout sessions on topics such as missing and murdered Indigenous women, white allyship, living out justice in a purple context, indigenous theology, and more. The Rev. Angela !Khabeb preached during the closing worship, which featured a litany for the healing of the nations, traditional Mohican elements, and powerful music led by Dr. Kartika Putri.

Throughout the day, participants were invited into truth-telling, self-examination, and actionable allyship as steps toward racial healing and justice. We give thanks to the ECSW Racial Equity Team for planning this important event and to leaders at Ascension Lutheran Church who blessed the gathering with excellent support and hospitality.

As the evaluations the common sentiments included statements like…

“I learned so much!” and “Do this again!”

One participant shared, “The new, and very important, thing I took away from Vance was his teaching on how to connect our biblical stories of creation to the Indigenous Peoples" stories. It was very compelling and his suggestion to honor our own indigenous heritages so that we can honor others...really changed my heart."  

Another shared that the most impactful learning was "seeing a large gathering of others eager to be enlightened and make changes within ourselves to be more welcoming of others."

Thank you to God for everyone who participated and who worked to make the conference possible, especially the Racial Equity Team and the leadership of Shirley Paulson.