Dear Community Member,

Next Thursday, April 29th at 7:00 pm VOACC is proud to present the next installment of our Healing Conversation titled "Moral Injury - Consequences of Racism."

The intent of our Healing Conversations is to engage in safe and engaging conversations that inspire healing, hope, and awareness around issues that impact our own lives and the lives of others within our communities.

Black and Brown people are called to see and speak about life in the midst of death, called to seek light and love in the despair that enfolds us. Unlike military wars, racism and poverty have not been acknowledged enemies of our collective life, so we are called to challenge an unspoken conflict on the lives of individuals we love.

We should not withdraw into our own distress. We need each other to struggle against the daily assault on our being—the repetitive wounding of the soul reinforced in the bodies of those who resist injustice and oppression and who feel the weight of that abuse.

It is not our humanity that is in jeopardy, it is our spirituality—the acknowledgement of the Imago Dei in each of us. Moral injury is damage to our very souls, and the image of God dwells in each of our souls and binds us together.

People heal better knowing they are being seen and heard.
Adapted from "How Enduring Centuries of Racism Leads to Moral Injury" by Reverend Traci Blackmon


Make sure you register to be a part of this timely and important discussion. We're looking forward to engaging with you and our esteemed speakers.

To register for this Healing Conversation, click on the link below:
FACILITATOR
Dr. Horace W. Strand
Dr. Strand founded the Faith Temple Holy Church and was awarded the honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity at Jameson Christian College in Philadelphia, PA.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Chester Environmental Partnership; a member of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Advisory Board.

Dr. Strand is married to Oluchi Gladys Strand and has three children and four beautiful grandchildren.
RESPONDENTS
Rita Nakashima Brock
Senior VP and Director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at VOA. She leads the organization’s efforts to deepen understanding about moral injury. The center builds on VOA’s work, spanning more than a century, of helping veterans and others who live with this emotional trauma.

A noted theologian, Dr. Brock is a leading national expert on moral injury in combat veterans and has offered trainings for VA mental health providers, for professional chaplains, and for veterans and their families.
Nancy J. Ramsay
Former Executive VP, Dean and Emerita Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Care, Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, TX. She directs the Soul Repair Center at Brite which provides resources and sponsors webinars for responding to veterans and their families affected by military moral injury. She is a clergywoman in the Presbyterian Church USA and the author or editor of five books including, Military Moral Injury and Spiritual Care: A Resource for Religious Leaders and Professional Caregivers (2019.)
To learn more about our Spiritual Development Colloquium and upcoming Healing Conversations, visit www.voachesapeake.org/spiritual-colloquium.
For questions, please contact us at [email protected].