Rowan County will celebrate its fourth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH). The event will be held in the Stanback Room at Rowan County Public Library on Jan. 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It is free and all are welcome.
Shirlette Ammons, creator of the recently released podcast series “TENDING: Black Farmers Fight for Justice Against the USDA” will share insights gleaned from extensive interviews with claimants in “Pigford vs Glickman.” Once the largest class action suit in U.S. history, the case confirmed USDA’s long-term racial discrimination, and consequent damages, against Black farmers. Ammons explores the impact of this monumental fight for justice and its legacy for the present day. The podcast can be found at www.tendingpodcast.com
Familiarity with the podcast is not needed to enjoy this event. As a poet and seasoned storyteller, Ammons will be joined in conversation by Jarred White and Professor Allan Lanton. Together, they will discuss highlights of the podcast, including next steps on the road to justice. White is lead author of “The Land Cries Out: A Guide to Racial Land Loss in the U.S.” He is a project member of Come to the Table, a faith-based initiative of Rural Advancement Foundation International. Lanton is a local aquaponics farmer and professor of hydroponics at Livingstone College.
The NDORH is an annual opportunity for individuals, organizations and communities to acknowledge the importance of racial healing in creating a more just and equitable world, rooted in our shared humanity. NDORH is a part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation initiative, a nationally coordinated community-based planning process intended to bring about sustainable transformational change by addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism.
In 2017, more than 550 U.S. leaders set aside the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to observe a National Day of Racial Healing. Since then, thousands of communities and hundreds of organizations participate annually, alongside numerous cities/states issuing proclamations. Learn more at https://dayofracialhealing.org/about-ndorh/ and https://healourcommunities.org/day-of-racial-healing/.
Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/01/13/national-day-of-racial-healing-event-scheduled-for-next-week/