A local group, Racial Equity Rowan, is hosting two online, nationally-recognized racial equity workshops in July. The three-hour workshops, to be held July 25 and 30, are open to those who work or live in Rowan County.

Racial Equity Rowan has contracted with REI to host an online Groundwater workshop on July 25 from 9 a.m. to noon and July 30 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Rowan group is partnering with a similar one in Cabarrus County. There are 50 spots available on each date for Rowan County registrants.

A news release said the workshops are being offered because racism is a fierce, ever-present and challenging force in society which has structured the thinking, behavior and actions of individuals and institutions since the beginning of U.S. history. In an effort to dismantle these structures and move towards an equitable community, Racial Equity Rowan (RE Rowan) was formed in 2019 to bring Racial Equity Institute workshops to Rowan County. The Steering Team members of Racial Equity Rowan are Lane Bailey, the Rev. Dr. Robert Black, April Kuhn, the Rev. Dr. Vergel Lattimore, Edward Norvell, Mark Ritchie and the Rev. Dr. Rhodes Woolly.

The workshops are conducted by the nationally recognized Racial Equity Institute based in Greensboro. A news release said the primary goal of the workshops is to unite people around a common narrative by moving away from a focus on personal bigotry and bias with a historical, cultural and structural analysis of racism. With shared language and a clearer understanding of how institutions and systems are producing unjust and inequitable outcomes, participants should leave the training better equipped to begin to work for change, a news release said.

Racial Equity Rowan has conducted two of REI’s two-day phase one workshops at Hood Theological Seminary and has many planned for the future. Due to the pandemic, a news release said, it’s not clear when in-person workshops will be able to resume.

REI organizers will use stories and data to present the perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature, a news release said. The cost of registration is $25 per person. Full scholarships are available to anyone requesting one by contacting racialequityrowan@gmail.com.

You can register for this event and learn more about RE Rowan online at racialequityrowan.org (click the Groundwater tab to register) or find Racial Equity Rowan on Facebook at facebook.com/racialequityrowan.