In 1989, a group of diverse Houstonians met and began having conversations in their homes about racism. Out of those conversations, the Center for the Healing of Racism was born. The nonprofit organization hosts workshops and programs for all ages throughout the year aimed at overcoming racial tension and prejudices. Cherry Steinwender, co-executive director and co-founder, who’s been with the organization since those early conversations, shares her journey of bringing racial healing to Houston.
Why were you drawn into those initial discussions about racism that started this organization?
“We just wanted to talk about racism and talk about it in a very honest way. What we found in those kitchen table conversations, what we did for each other in the space of being honest, caused a lot of tears, rage, and anger. But we came away forever changed. We realized that everybody in this country has been damaged around racism. That is the reason when we stepped out to form a nonprofit organization, we chose the name healing racism.”
In 2020, we saw an urgency around conversations about racism. How can we continue to help people understand racism?
“I feel a lot of people really don’t know what racism is. They don’t understand that racism is an institution. It’s an institution created in this country that totally has kept us divided from each other, but it also gives benefits to one group of people over all others."
What’s a lesson you’ve learned doing racial healing work?
“The lesson I pass on, especially to younger people, is to truly learn to love yourself. A Roman Catholic nun came to my house to talk about racism in the church. She said, ‘Cherry, what direction do you feel the church should go in?’ I said, number one is to [teach] people to love themselves. The church [also] needs to start teaching people how to internalize oneness. We are really one human family. And the last one is: position yourself to be unforgettable. Don’t go through life and become a shadow.”
