Event:   Faith and Action Forum: National Day of Racial Healing

On January 21, 2025, Bethel New Life Church, Wheaton, is hosting a Faith and Action
Forum: National Day of Racial Healing. The event will be held at 1771 Wiesbrook Rd., Wheaton , Illinois, 60189, on the corner of Wiesbrook and Durfee, and will begin at 7pm.

A panel of prominent individuals will discuss current issues related to racial healing.  Panelists include:  Byran Stewart, President, The Stewart Group and former Treasurer of the Village of Maywood; Simeon Henderson, actor, producer, and director; Jhovanny Jimenez, educator and recent new arrival from Venezuela; Kymberlie Mills, Ph.D. student in Forensic Psychology and advocate for marginalized individuals; Imelda Salazar, Community Organizer, Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP); and Cortez Watson, Jr., Director of Innovative Initiatives and Evaluation, The Black Star Project.

Moderator for the evening will be Dr. Kenneth Phelps, President, Progressive Baptist State Convention of Illinois and Pastor, Concord M.B. Church, Chicago.  Panelists will explore needs related to racial healing, possible action steps, and how the faith community can be involved.

The National Day of Racial Healing was created in 2017 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to bring people together to contemplate shared values, create a blueprint for healing from racism, inspire collective action, and create a more just and equitable world.  The day is observed annually on the Tuesday following Martin Luther King Jr. Day and was established to promote racial healing as a way to end racial bias.

Co-sponsors for the event are the Progressive Baptist State Convention of Illinois, Concord Community Organization, and The Black Star Project.

The event is free to the public.