“Coming to the Table:” DeWolf and Morgan on interracial healing, dialogue

Authors Tom DeWolf and Sharon Morgan will speak Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Younts Conference Center on the campus of Furman University about dealing with the historical harms and “collective trauma” resulting from slavery in the United States.

Their CLP talk, “Coming to the Table,” is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Furman Office of Academic Affairs in conjunction with the Task Force on Slavery and Justice.

DeWolf’s and Morgan’s talk is based on a book they coauthored in 2012.

DeWolf serves as executive director for Coming to the Table (CTTT), an organization established in 2006 that aims to “take America beyond the legacy of enslavement.” He is co-author with Sharon Leslie Morgan of “Gather at the Table: The Healing Journey of a Daughter of Slavery and a Son of the Slave Trade” (2012), named Best Nonfiction/Biography & Memoir by the Phillis Wheatley Book Awards.

Together they will discuss the CTTT approach to achieving its vision and mission for interracial healing, which is grounded in theories and practices of the STAR model—Strategies for Trauma Awareness & Resilience. This model has been adopted at Furman University in its quest to delve into and reckon with its historical ties to slavery.

DeWolf and Morgan will share the STAR vocabulary and toolkit, evaluate Furman’s use of the terms, and help the audience understand how healing from “collective trauma” happens on an individual level.

A trained STAR practitioner, public speaker and workshop leader at universities, corporations, and conferences throughout the United States, DeWolf is author of “Inheriting the Trade” (Beacon Press, 2008), the story of his experiences during the making of Emmy-nominated PBS documentary “Traces of the Trade,” a 2008 film by Katrina Browne.

Morgan is the founder of OurBlackAncestry.com, a website devoted to helping people appreciate and explore African American family history and culture. She is a genealogist, writer and marketing communications professional whose ancestors were enslaved in Mississippi and Alabama. Her 30 years of research led her to create Our Black Ancestry in 2007.

For more information, contact Brandon Inabinet in the Department of Communication Studies, 864-294-3058 and brandon.inabinet@furman.edu. Or contact the Furman News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.