About Our 2020 Summit
Reconstruction. Centering Blackness – A Path to Build Collective Power and Justice for All.
In the 2020 reality of COVID-19, as well as the immense shift in the national conversation around racism and the need for systemic change following the uprisings in defense of Black Life, we built on the experiences of prior Summits to offer a virtual gathering place for even deeper learning, vision casting, and movement building.
This theme invited us all to radically build on ancestral decolonizing ways of being, relating, and co-creating in society, as well as to develop new paradigms. These new paradigms must be shaped by what we all deeply and collectively value in life — dignity, freedom of choice, justice, sacredness, and opportunity for wellbeing. These are times to stand together in dismantling and unlearning the white supremacist ideology and anti-blackness that is present in our current social structures and cultures. Centering Blackness offered us a profound opportunity to uproot the perpetuation of violence, scarcity, and economic order based on extraction and exploitation as determined by whiteness.
Centering Blackness guides us in shifting the direction of our future with bold, courageous, and radically creative actions today. We are on the brink of co-creating a new era of Reconstruction—this time with an understanding of our sacred interconnectedness as we envision new policies, systems, and institutions. Centering Blackness steers our bodies, minds, and imagination to a whole different direction—one where everyone can truly thrive and experience shared dignity, abundance, and joy.
In our virtual Summit experience, we invited attendees on a journey of reflection, learning, and community building for action. The journey allowed learning and connections through an online platform prior to the Summit. We will then spent the three days of the Summit hearing from our keynote speakers and processing our learning together. As we processed, we offered guests the opportunity to develop Circles of Community Learning, Practice, and Action that will continue beyond the Summit through the connection on our online platform.
2020 Keynote Speakers:
Keynote Speaker Biographies
Please click here to read more about our Keynote Speakers.
Want to access the Summit Recordings?
Click here to watch most of the keynotes, featured artists, and presenters from the 2020 Racial Justice Summit.
Note: Reverend angel Kyodo williams has asked that we only share her beautiful offering with people who attended the Summit. In order to access the video of her keynote, please find it in the Resources section on the Sutra platform.
Thank You to our 2020 Racial Justice Summit Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor
Sponsorship Opportunities are no longer available for this year’s Summit. If you are interested in sponsoring our 2021 Racial Justice Summit, you may reach out to Jill Pfeiffer. THANK YOU!