Coming to the Table Calls on America to Face its Past & Shape a Just Future at June Gathering

Keep the Dream Alive - June 12 – 15 in St. Paul, MN

/EIN News/ -- St. Paul, MN, April 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a time of deep racial division and ongoing calls for justice, a nationwide movement is gathering in St. Paul, MN this June to confront the legacy of slavery and heal historic and generational wounds. Coming to the Table, a program of nationally recognized RJOY, invites people of all backgrounds to take part in its National Gathering, an event designed to turn reflection into action.

Coming to the Table works with people throughout the U.S. to promote justice, equity, reparation, truth-telling, inclusion, and support for all marginalized people and communities who are under attack due to racism, sexism, religious intolerance and more. The table portion of the name - is an acronym – Taking America Beyond the Legacy of Enslavement.

“At Coming to the Table, we hold space for what so many have been told to forget—the grief, the truth, the resilience, and the possibility,” said Dr. Giavanni Washington, Incoming Program Manager of Coming to the Table. “In this moment of deep division and generational pain, our work is an offering of connection, courage, and collective healing. The time to face the legacy of enslavement—and transform it—is now.”

Coming to the Table’s annual gathering, which is open to everyone, will be held at St. Paul College in St. Paul, MN. The cost is $350. Reserve your seat at the TABLE. Sign up at: Register

The event will provide sessions on truth-telling, reparations, genealogy and healing as participants honor their ancestors, confront present realities and shape a just future. The Twin Cities was selected as this year’s location because it has become a powerful symbol in the movement for racial justice, remembrance and repair.

“The egregious murder of George Floyd in 2020 ignited a global uprising, making Minneapolis a focal point for calls to dismantle systemic racism, reimagine public safety, and demand accountability,” Dr. Washington added. “Long before that, the region carried the scars of Indigenous displacement, the destruction of Black communities like Rondo, and ongoing struggles for equity.  Yet it is also home to resilient communities, a place where history is being written in real-time—where the past and present intersect, and where our work at the Table has never been more relevant.”

At the national gathering people will have the opportunity to:

1. Uncover History: research, acknowledge and share personal, family, community, state, and national histories of race with openness and honesty
2. Make Connections: connect to others within and across racial lines in order to develop and deepen relationships
3. Working Toward Healing: explore how we can heal together through dialogue, reunion, ritual, meditation, prayer, ceremony, the arts, apology and other methods
4. Be a Catalyst for Change: Leave with tools, strategies, and connections to dismantle systemic racism and create a more just world.

In addition to the National Gathering, people can join one of 45 local groups or participate in an online group. More information is at: https://comingtothetable.org/
ABOUT COMING TO THE TABLE’S HISTORY

The organization was founded by Will Hairston, a descendant of one of the largest enslaving enterprises in the South and Susan Hutchison, a descendant of President Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha. When Hairston was 18, he attended a Hairston Clan reunion, an 800-person gathering of an African American family with roots in the South and a direct connection to Will.  Similarly, Susan attended an unlikely family reunion, hers with the descendants of President Jefferson and Sally Hemings, the woman he enslaved on his Monticello plantation and who bore several of his children.

When Susan and Will met they  came up with the idea of a family reunion that was vastly different from what most people are accustomed to. It would not be a meeting of just one family. It would be a reunion that involved multiple families from both sides of the racial construct; a reunion of black and white—the descendants of people who were slaveholders with the descendants of those whom they had enslaved. Their idea was based on one key acknowledgment: Be they black, white or mixed, families are families. America’s legacy of slavery ripped apart untold numbers of family bonds. Coming to the Table is an opportunity to heal those wounds and create a just future.

Joanie Griffin
                    RJOY
                    505-261-4444
                    jgriffin@sunny505.com