The focus of November’s Dominican Family Gathering was a discussion on racism organized by the Dominican Sisters. Presenters for the evening were Cherry Steinwender and Lucy McLaughlin of The Center for the Healing of Racism. Cherry defined racism as power plus prejudice. She went on to state, "racism is the disease most passed from parent to child." Lucy McLaughlin talked a little about the history of racism in America, saying, "Europeans did not come over and become American, instead they became white." She referred to The People’s History as a good book on how people who have been discriminated against view this country.  

The presentation was followed by lively table discussion. Dominican Family member Marc Martinez stated, It was a very good start to a lengthy conversation. I found it comforting to know that we could have a conversation about what some perceive as a sensitive topic, but with the right facilitator, much can be learned from such conversations. Everyone at my table was very compassionate and attentive to the conversations. 

For more information on the work of The Center for the Healing of Racism, please refer to their website, http://www.centerhealingracism.org