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BOSTON, MA — The Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation (“the Center”) is pleased to announce that its previous decision to close at the end of 2025 has been reversed following a series of thoughtful internal discussions. As the Center prepares for a new chapter in 2026, it announces a significant leadership transition: founder Paul S. Bracy will step down as President of the Center and the Board, with Randee Wilding assuming the role of President of both entities. Paul S. Bracy , a Human Relations educator with over 50 years of experience, will continue to serve on the Center's Board. Under his guidance, the Center has strived to foster meaningful dialogue and heal wounds caused by human oppression. Reflecting on the transition, Bracy expressed “greatest pleasure and satisfaction” in the environment created by the Center and shared his high confidence that the organization will rise to future challenges under Wilding’s leadership. Incoming President Randee Wilding brings a multi-disciplinary background to the role, having served as the Center’s Chief Operating Officer since December 2021. Wilding possesses over 25 years of experience in technology and consulting, including a tenure as Creative Director for a $100M firm. In addition to his leadership at the Center, Wilding is an Instructional Leader where he utilizes restorative justice and the “Pedagogy of Aloha” to create inclusive learning environments (Kahakalau, 2022) . “The Center remains dedicated to creating a path towards genuine and lasting human reconciliation,” the organization stated. In the coming months, the leadership team will review previous programs—such as the Reading for Understanding monthly book club, which Wilding will continue to lead—and develop new initiatives to enhance their mission. Joining Wilding and Paul S. Bracy on the 2026 Board are William Friedman and Sheila Bracy . The Center also remains supported by its dedicated volunteer team, including Joanne Zitek , Peter Raymond , and Michelle Easton . About the Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation: The Dock C. Bracy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Boston, MA. Its mission is to facilitate dialogue and education that enable communities to confront and heal the wounds of human oppression, building a foundation for true reconciliation through programs such as the Eradicating Racism learning series and the Reading for Understanding book club. To support the Center by donation, please consider the following options: PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=CTKQZ7F6YDCE2 Stripe: https://buy.stripe.com/cN22aE40JgX05Ta8wy Venmo: https://venmo.com/dcbcenter Reference Citation: Kahakalau, K. (2022). Pedagogy of Aloha. In: Peters, M.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Teacher Education. Springer, Singapore. Retrieved from Kū-A-Kanaka LLC, Resources:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FJYkNrKkS3ecI15Bh-cDj78um8EMM9y4/view?usp=sharing # Contact: Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation P.O. Box 320020, Boston, MA 02132 info@dcbcenter.org

Empowering Communities Through Dialogue: Join Our Monthly Virtual Book Club to Explore Race, History, and Structural Inequality FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Boston, MA — December 23, 2025 — Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation's Reading for Understanding (RFU) , a leading virtual community dedicated to critical education, is proud to announce its 2026 season of virtual book discussions. Marking six years of continuous programming, the 2026 series will feature 12 curated titles that examine the intersection of history, race, and social justice, including the economic legacy of slavery and the impact of technology on civil rights. Since its inception in 2020, Reading for Understanding has served as a vital platform for participants across the globe to engage with challenging texts. "Participating in these discussions is like gathering diverse nutrients for a garden," say the program organizers. "While reading alone provides the seeds, our collective dialogue ensures our understanding can truly bloom into actionable empathy." Starting January 25, 2026, the group will meet via Zoom on the last Sunday of each month (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Eastern U.S.). RFU continues its commitment to supporting independent businesses by highlighting a different BIPOC-owned bookstore each month. 2026 Virtual Book Club Discussion Schedule & Reading List Jan 25: Fear No Pharaoh by Richard Kreitner | Supported by MahoganyBooks Feb 22: The Essential Kerner Commission Report ed. Jelani Cobb | Supported by The Lit. Bar Mar 29: They Were Her Property by Stephanie Jones-Rogers | Supported by Loyalty Bookstore Apr 26: Waging a Good War by Thomas E. Ricks | Supported by Malik Books May 31: On the Courthouse Lawn by Sherrilyn A. Ifill | Supported by Reparations Club Jun 28: Riding Jane Crow by Miriam Thaggert | Supported by Rooted MKE Jul 26: The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist | Supported by Resist Booksellers Aug 30: Mother Emanuel by Kevin Sack | Supported by Kindred Thoughts Book Store Sep 27: Dark Laboratory by Tao Leigh Goffe | Supported by Harambee Books and Artworks Oct 25: Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin | Supported by Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books Nov 29: The Knowing by Tanya Talaga | Supported by A Different Booklist Dec 27: Rooted by Brea Baker | Supported by Cindelle’s Bookstore The Journey of Reading for Understanding: 2020–2025 Timeline Explore the foundation of our community through this reverse-chronological history of our monthly selections: 2025: Examining Modern Legacies Dec: The 272 | Nov: No Name in the Street | Oct: We Refuse to Forget | Sep: The Black Angels | Aug: Robert E. Lee and Me | Jul: The Heroic Legacy of the 6888th Battalion | Jun: Film: Viola Liuzzo | May: White Trash | Apr: Go Tell It on the Mountain | Mar: The Message | Feb: Black AF History | Jan: Cobalt Red 2024: Power, Politics, and Progress Dec: The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois | Nov: Half American | Oct: Killers of the Flower Moon | Sep: Getting Real About Race | Aug: Whitelash | Jul: A People's History of Sports in the U.S. | Jun: Not Yelling | May: South to America | Apr: Parable of the Sower | Mar: Black Leopard, Red Wolf | Feb: At the Dark End of the Street | Jan: Angry White Men 2023: Reckoning with History Dec: The Other Slavery | Nov: Learning from the Germans | Oct: Why We Can't Wait | Sep: Not a Nation of Immigrants | Aug: Medical Apartheid | Jul: Racism Without Racists | Jun: Living While Black | May: How the Other Half Eats | Apr: An Uncommon Faith | Mar: America for Americans | Feb: Of Strangers | Jan: The 1619 Project 2022: Identity and Resistance Dec: Barracoon | Nov: You Are Your Best Thing | Oct: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man | Sep: The Black Friend | Aug: Mediocre | Jul: The Vanishing Half | Jun: Just Mercy | May: The Purpose of Power | Apr: Four Hundred Souls | Mar: Minor Feelings | Feb: How the Word Is Passed | Jan: The Sum of Us 2021: Foundations of Race in America Dec: The Water Dancer | Nov: Caste | Oct: The Color of Law | Sep: White Rage | Aug: The New Jim Crow | Jul: Americanah | Jun: Notes of a Native Son | May: The Warmth of Other Suns | Apr: Dying of Whiteness | Mar: Waking Up White | Feb: Tears We Cannot Stop | Jan: Stamped from the Beginning 2020: The Start of the Conversation Dec: Me and White Supremacy | Nov: So You Want to Talk About Race | Oct: Between the World and Me | Sep: White Fragility | Aug: How to Be an Antiracist | Jul: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? How to Join Registration for the 2026 series is open now. Participants are encouraged to join the community on Bookclubs to receive meeting links, reminders, and updates. Sign Up Here: Bookclubs: Reading for Understanding Discussion in progress. About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding is a virtual book club dedicated to fostering critical dialogue on race, history, and social justice. Through curated monthly readings and facilitated discussions, the group aims to turn knowledge into actionable empathy. Join the movement on Bookclubs. Support black-owned bookstores. Where and how you choose to spend money has power. Visit https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php to find a black-owned bookstore in your area or shop directly from https://aalbc.com . “African American Literature Book Club, AALBC.com is the oldest, largest, and most frequently visited web site dedicated to books by, or about, people of African descent. Started in 1997, AALBC.com is a widely recognized source of information about Black authors.” Source: AALBC.com About the Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation The Dock C. Bracy Center is committed to human reconciliation and the eradication of racism and other forms of human oppression. Our work focuses on healing the internal emotional and cognitive harms that have allowed racism to continue to thrive in our society. We support the efforts of many other groups and individuals by providing opportunities for learning and self-reflection so that strategies to eradicate racism can become more successful. Additional information about the Center can be found by visiting the website and by following @dcbcenter. The Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation Website: http://www.dcbcenter.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/dcbcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dockcbracycenter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dcbcenter LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/dcbcenter TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@dcbcenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEWo3ofiX7CdQDzHUsn3N2Q ###

Meeting Date: Sunday, December 27, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Explore the legacy of land theft and the movement for Black land ownership. December RFU session. Sign up via Bookclubs . Book Cover: Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership Book Details Full Title: Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft and the Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership Author: Brea Baker Publisher: One World Year Published: 2024 Page Count: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0593447376 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Brea Baker explores the impact of violent displacement and land theft on racial wealth gaps in the U.S.. Tracing her family history, she argues that justice stems from reclaiming the roots of the earth, serving as a call for returning equity to a dispossessed people. About the Author Brea Baker is a writer and activist who served as a national organizer for the 2017 Women’s March. Website: breabaker.com Social Media: Twitter/X @Brea_Baker Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Cindelle’s Bookstore (Plainfield, NJ) A Black-owned bookstore serving Central New Jersey with a curated selection of diverse literature. Website: cindellesbookstore.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, June 28, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Explore the overlooked stories of Black women navigating the American railroad with Miriam Thaggert. Sign up via Bookclubs . Book Cover: Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad Book Details Full Title: Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad Author: Miriam Thaggert Publisher: University of Illinois Press Year Published: 2022 Page Count: 208 pages ISBN-13: 978-0252086595 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Synopsis In Riding Jane Crow , Miriam Thaggert illuminates the stories of African American women as both passengers and workers on the nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century railroad. From middle-class women suing to ride in first-class "ladies' cars" to the Pullman maids whose stories are rarely told, this book explores how the train compartment became a contested space of leisure, work, and social progress. About the Author Miriam Thaggert is an Associate Professor of English at SUNY Buffalo and an expert in African American literature and culture. Website: miriamthaggert.com Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Rooted MKE (Milwaukee, WI) Website: rootedmke.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, July 26, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Understand the link between slavery and American capitalism. July RFU book discussion. Sign up via Bookclubs . Book Cover: The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism Book Details Full Title: The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism Author: Edward E. Baptist Publisher: Basic Books Year Published: 2014 Page Count: 528 pages ISBN-13: 978-0465049660 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Edward Baptist reveals how the expansion of slavery in the 19th century drove the modernization and economic growth of the United States, arguing that American success was inextricably linked to enslaved suffering. About the Author Edward E. Baptist is a Professor of History at Cornell University, focusing on the history of 19th-century U.S. and enslavement. Website: Faculty Page Social Media: Twitter/X @Ed_Baptist Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Resist Booksellers (Petersburg, VA) Website: resistbooksellers.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  May 31, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Confronting the legacy of lynching in the 21st century. Join RFU’s May book discussion. Book Cover: On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-First Century Book Details Full Title: On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-First Century Author: Sherrilyn A. Ifill Publisher: Beacon Press Year Published: 2018 (Revised Edition) Page Count: 240 pages ISBN-13: 978-0807023044 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Sherrilyn Ifill examines the enduring impact of racial trauma and lynchings in the U.S.. The book investigates how community complicity in racial violence became embedded in social fabrics and calls for proactive confrontation of this history. About the Author Sherrilyn A. Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and former President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). Social Media: Twitter/X @SIfill_ Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Reparations Club (Los Angeles, CA) Website: rep.club About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, April 26, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Apply military strategy to the Civil Rights Movement with Thomas E. Ricks. Join our April session. Book Cover: Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968 Book Details Full Title: Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968 Author: Thomas E. Ricks Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Year Published: 2022 Page Count: 464 pages ISBN-13: 978-0374605162 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Ricks offers a radical perspective on the Civil Rights Movement by applying military strategy and tactics to its major campaigns. He examines how discipline, logistics, and planning were essential to the success of nonviolent resistance from 1954 to 1968. About the Author Thomas E. Ricks is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of Fiasco . Website: thomasericks.substack.com Social Media: Twitter/X @thomasericks Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Malik Books (Los Angeles, CA) Website: malikbooks.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, March 29, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Explore the role of white women in the American slave economy. Join the March book discussion. Book Cover: They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South Book Details Full Title: They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South Author: Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers Publisher: Yale University Press Year Published: 2019 Page Count: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0300251838 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis This bold investigation explores the role of white women in the American slave economy. Jones-Rogers reveals that slave-owning women were sophisticated and often brutal economic actors who actively participated in and profited from the slave market, dismantling myths of their passivity. About the Author Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers is an Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley, specializing in African-American and women’s history. Website: Faculty Profile Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Loyalty Bookstore (Washington, DC) Website: loyaltybookshops.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, February 22, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Discuss systemic racism and police violence with Jelani Cobb’s edition of the Kerner Commission Report. Book Cover: The Essential Kerner Commission Report Book Details Full Title: The Essential Kerner Commission Report Editor: Jelani Cobb Publisher: Liveright Year Published: 2021 Page Count: 240 pages ISBN-13: 978-1631498923 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis This edition of the historic 1968 study on American racism and police violence is contextualized for a new generation by Jelani Cobb. The report, which famously concluded that the nation was moving toward "two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal," remains a prescient exploration of systemic racism. About the Author Jelani Cobb is the Dean of the Columbia Journalism School and a staff writer for The New Yorker . Website: Faculty Profile Social Media: Twitter/X @jelani9 Featured Black-Owned Bookstore The Lit. Bar (Bronx, NY) Website: thelitbar.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, January 25, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Join RFU’s January discussion of "Fear No Pharaoh." Explore the intersection of American Jewish history and the Civil War. Register on Bookclubs. Book Cover: Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery Book Details Full Title: Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery Author: Richard Kreitner Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Year Published: 2025 Page Count: 416 pages ISBN-13: 978-0374608453 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Fear No Pharaoh offers a dramatic history of how American Jews reckoned with slavery and the Civil War. Since ancient times, the Jewish people have recalled the story of Exodus and reflected on the implications of having been slaves. Did the tradition teach that Jews should speak out against slavery and oppression everywhere, or act cautiously to protect themselves? Richard Kreitner sets this question at the heart of the Civil War era, using original sources to tell the intertwined stories of six American Jews. About the Author Richard Kreitner is a writer based in Beacon, NY, and a contributing writer to The Nation . Website: richardkreitner.com Social Media: Twitter/X @richardkreitner Featured Black-Owned Bookstore MahoganyBooks (Oxon Hill, MD) Website: mahoganybooks.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, August 30, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Join RFU’s discussion of Kevin Sack’s "Mother Emanuel," a profound history of a pivotal Charleston church and the fight for racial justice. Book Cover: Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church Book Details Full Title: Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church Author: Kevin Sack Publisher: Crown Year Published: 2025 Page Count: 480 pages ISBN-13: 978-1524761301 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kevin Sack traces the long arc of Black life in Charleston through the history of the Emanuel AME Church. This sweeping narrative explores the church's role in the Civil Rights Movement, its endurance through the trauma of Jim Crow and the Civil War, and the profound outpouring of grace in the aftermath of the 2015 massacre. About the Author Kevin Sack is a veteran journalist who has been part of three Pulitzer Prize–winning teams and spent thirty years on the staff of The New York Times . Website: kevinsack.com Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Kindred Thoughts Book Store (Bridgeport, CT) Website: kindredthoughts.com About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .

Meeting Date:  Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET Connecting the climate crisis to racial history and the Caribbean. Join our September discussion. Book Cover: Dark Laboratory: On Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Book Details Full Title: Dark Laboratory: On Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis Author: Tao Leigh Goffe Publisher: Doubleday Year Published: 2025 Page Count: 320 pages ISBN-13: 978-0385549912 WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org Synopsis Goffe explores how the climate crisis is linked to racial histories and colonial technologies, using the "Dark Laboratory" as a metaphor for the Caribbean as a site of ecological and social experimentation. About the Author Tao Leigh Goffe, Ph.D. is a writer and interdisciplinary artist specializing in colonial histories. Website: taoleighgoffe.com Social Media: Instagram @taoleighgoffe Featured Black-Owned Bookstore Harambee Books and Artworks (Alexandria, VA) Website: harambeebooks.org About Reading for Understanding Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy. Join the Community Ready to start reading? Join Reading for Understanding on Bookclubs to stay updated on meetings and discussions: https://bookclubs.com/reading-for-understanding/join/ .