January 2026: Rooted in the Rhythm of Healing

Connecting and Moving Together

Author

LaShauna Austria
January 15, 2026

Hello Change-Makers, and welcome to 2026!

As we enter this new year, we are preparing for a significant milestone: the 10th Anniversary of the National Day of Racial Healing (NDRH) on Tuesday, January 20th.

This year’s theme, The Rhythm of Our Humanity, offers a framework for how we connect. It’s an invitation to move away from the friction of division and toward a more synchronized, collective effort. At Seeds of Change Consulting, we recognize that while this national day is a decade old, the work of racial healing is much older. We embody a long-standing tradition of truth-telling and restoration that spans generations.

The 10th anniversary is not the start of the journey, but a moment to acknowledge how far we’ve come and how much further we have yet to go.

In our shared spaces, rhythm is found in how we show up for one another. True community healing is built on shared truth and the courage to engage with perspectives different from our own.

  • The Weight of Our Stories: Healing begins when we move past surface-level interactions to share lived experiences.

  • Creativity as a Tool for Change: Imagination serves as a bridge when standard dialogue feels stuck, allowing us to build a future that hasn’t existed yet.

  • Taking Local Action: Connection starts with "restorative listening" - seeking to understand rather than reply. Whether through neighborhood circles or local town halls, these small movements create the momentum for systemic change.

Design Justice Network

Design justice rethinks design processes, centers people who are normally marginalized by design, and uses collaborative, creative practices to address the deepest challenges our communities face.

How We Heal: The Audio Series

The 2026 National Day of Racial Healing will take place on January 21. It is a time to reflect on our shared values and create a collaborative blueprint for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism.

Racial healing is a vital yet often overlooked driver of organizational health. By prioritizing the human element of equity, we build workplaces that are more resilient, innovative, and sustainable.

  • Authentic Leadership: Healing requires leading with vulnerability. When we see each other as whole people rather than just roles, we build the trust necessary for high-functioning teams.

  • Systemic Courage: Practical healing means identifying exclusionary "rhythms" in our processes and moving from general statements to Anti-Racist Leadership and concrete policy change.

How Seeds of Change Supports Your Journey

We turn the momentum of a single day into a sustainable culture by partnering with leaders to implement the Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation Framework through:

  • Strategic Roadmapping: Moving from statements to systemic change.

  • Facilitated Healing Circles: Building trust through restorative storytelling.

  • Narrative Change Workshops: Shifting culture to prioritize belonging.

  • Equitable Systems Audits: Aligning hiring and promotion with human dignity.

Click here to learn more about our services and the TRHT roadmap.

Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World

Building anti-racist companies by design creates great places to work for all.

A Call for Healing: Reimagining Global Harmony in 2024

When speaking at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “[m]uch of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.” Music has been medicine to me — and to many of us.

The Extraordinary Ways Rhythm Shapes Our Lives

Music and rhythm are rooted in every known culture. What parent does not use rhythmic rocking to soothe a crying baby? The repetitive sounds and silences that comprise rhythmic patterns make dancing possible, aid in the memory and reproduction of music, and facilitate group singing, playing, or drumming. Rhythm has been used for millennia to tie societal members together — the chants of a religious order or the cadence calls of military ranks are just two examples.

⚘ Closing Thoughts

A decade of this national movement has shown us that we don't have to do this work in isolation. Whether you are focusing on your community or your company, your commitment is an essential part of the progress we are making together.

We are honored to continue this journey with you.

With gratitude,

The Seeds of Change Team

Listens, Reads and Watches

Belonging: A Culture of Place * bell hooks Books

A home is somewhere that we feel safe and wanted. It is a place that calls us when we feel weary from our daily struggles. However, does every person out there share this value of what home is supposed to mean? How does this person feel like they truly belong in their community?

You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live

From journalist Paul Kix, the riveting story, never before fully told, of the 1963 Birmingham Campaign—ten weeks that would shape the course of the Civil Rights Movement and the future of America.

Letter from Birmingham Jail | 1963

Seeds of Change Happenings

Upcoming Sessions:

  • January 28, 2026 12:00PM

  • Feb 11, 2026 12:00 PM

  • Mar 11, 2026 12:00 PM

  • Apr 8, 2026 12:00 PM

Self-Guided Strategic Planning Resource for Non-Profit Organizations is Now Available for Purchase!

What sets this guide apart is its refusal to treat strategic planning as a cold, corporate exercise. Unlike traditional toolkits that prioritize rigid growth metrics, the Vision to Action framework from Seeds of Change Consulting is built on the foundation of collective liberation and relational accountability.

Now through February 15th, this resource will be available at an introductory rate!

Community Happenings

AREA Newsletter | Special Announcement

Celebrate, Reflect, and Connect: A Special Community Caucus

The Alamance Racial Equity Alliance (AREA) invites you to a meaningful evening of dialogue and community building.

2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH HAPPENINGS

📅 Looking Ahead: Black History Month

As we move from racial healing into Black History Month this February, we will be populating this calendar with local events, workshops, and commemorative gatherings. We invite you to check back often as we highlight the stories and legacies that continue to shape our community’s rhythm.

Folks to Follow: Our Community in Action

AACAH | African-American Cultural Arts & History Center

Collecting and preserving Alamance county's rich African American legacy, the AACAHC is a cultural site and museum in Burlington, NC.

Home | Alamance County Community Remembrance Coalition

The Alamance County Community Remembrance Coalition memorializes documented victims of racial terror, fosters meaningful dialogue about race and justice, and educates our county about our history, using EJI projects and community events in collaboration with relevant organizations.

"In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist."
Angela Davis

Seeds of Change Consulting

We are a diverse and passionate team of sector experts and rising stars, united by a shared commitment to social and economic justice. We are a community of professionals deeply dedicated to advancing racial equity, collective liberation, and transformative change.