Pam Y. Fields

As Martin Luther King, Jr. day has come and gone, I have reflected on what his work and sacrifice has meant to all minorities. We all benefit. Yet the work was never completed and now it feels like we’re slipping backward. We need a concerted effort from all races, faiths and other dividers along with those white people who are ready and willing to be in the struggle with us.

One way that Visible Unity is combatting the divisions in our society is through the Unity Process. This nine-session process helps each diverse group look at their own biases and stereotypes and begin to address them (Formation). Then we learn and begin to have healthy conversations around race and other contentious topics (Discussions). Finally, each person gets to practice leading the group in having an open and honest discussion around the subject of their choice (Experience).

We are getting ready to start another group of diverse individuals. Our challenge is getting enough minorities to participate. The impact of going through this process has proven to be so profound on all participants. Particularly for the white participants, they are more informed, more prepared and more competent at having those hard conversations with people in their sphere of influence. The Unity Process brings about heart level change, which leads to transformation. This transformation is the beginning of eradicating racism in our communities.

So, minorities of Dallas, please go to our website and sign up. Let’s finish the work that has been started.