Race Realities
Lead. Liberate. Love
The foundational Race Realities™ course introduces a leadership model and historical context to the examination of structural racism in the United States. This Problem-Based Learning course provides an overview and deeper examination of race, racism, and culture concepts in the United States with three modules: Awareness, Understanding, and Application.
Race Realities™ Costa is an experience in the #1 ranked travel destination, Cahuita, Costa Rica. This life changing adventure for men of color allows us to add the fourth pillar of Healing to the modules. Men speaking to and with men only...inspirational engagement with fun!
Race Realities™ now in Costa Rica! Leaders will enjoy the beauty and peace of nature while engaging with those who choose to further develop and expand their practice.
Learning Outcomes
-
Become inquisitive or increase their own curiosity levels about race and racism.
-
Increase one’s own motivation and knowledge of the history and impact of USA racial matters that affect student wellness outcomes.
-
Inquire about the specific data (disaggregated by race) for each learner’s current work to assist in organizational success.
-
Gain additional respect and understanding of an individual’s social identification and culture.
-
Improve problem-solving abilities.
-
Have better knowledge sharing in challenging situations.
-
Request additional activities to further critical thinking regarding awareness, understanding, and application.
Requirements
-
Prerequisites: None​
-
The course requires the completion of three modules or units: Awareness, Understanding, and Application. At the conclusion of the course, learners will have the option to complete a course evaluation to share feedback and ideas.
Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)​
-
After a learner completes and submits the course evaluation, they will be notified of CEU eligibility within one week of the conclusion of their training. ​
-
Each learner will receive an email from a company email account to the learner’s registration email with instructions to claim the CEU certificate. This course offers .6 CEUs.
Race Realities - Costa Rica
Men of color wellness retreat
Race Realities™ now in Costa Rica! Leaders will enjoy the beauty and peace of nature while engaging with those who choose to further develop and expand their practice. Adding the fourth pillar of healing to the RR model, participants will learn and share in a supportive brave space close to the ocean. We offer a trusted sounding board for feedback and spiritual fortification.
The structure is "men speaking to men." in small group settings. We believe wellness is more than being free from illness: it is a process of continual change and growth. While we lead and guide others, it is critical to exercise self-care and reflection. Content includes communication, mental wealth, relationships, self-love, and trust, Limited spots available to ensure cohort participation and brotherhood establishment. Join us!
​
The Race Realities™ presentation introduces a leadership 3-step model and historical context to the examination of structural racism in the United States. This session (provided to all retreat registrants) is an overview and deeper examination of race, racism, and culture concepts in the United States. In addition, the importance of language and communication will be addressed to foster understanding and belonging in families and organizations. It is designed to spark curiosity, foster dialogue, and present a clear understanding of the individual and organizational challenges of racial healing and collaborative decision-making. Proven success has sparked the imagination to now host retreats in Costa Rica to ADD the important pillar of healing to the model. Onward!​​
Listen to our 2024 attendees reflect through music!
Our Location
Race Realities™ is designed to spark curiosity, foster dialogue, and present a clear understanding of the individual and organizational challenges of racial healing and collaborative decision-making in the academic, business, or non-profit setting. What better location to host us than a world-class healing sanctuary?
Spread across 14 acres, The Goddess Garden offers a wide range of facilities and amenities to discover, including Caribbean-inspired bungalows, three group spaces, an open-air restaurant, spa, a five-minute walk from a serene and private beach, exotic gardens, and much more.
A Leadership Immersion
Like No Other
-
Delightful, healthy meals
-
Community of Care & Connection
-
Critical Thinking Exercises
-
Healing Sessions
-
Local Activities and Excursions including yoga
-
Self-Discovery
-
Thought Leadership Roundtables
Why Retreat?
Your commitment to wellness is part of the revolution.
All: The U.S. Surgeon General recently said that loneliness and lack of human connection increase the risk of premature death, akin to smoking 15 cigarettes a day!
Men of Color (MOC): With the high level of evidence-based toxicity of navigating life in the USA, men need and desire spaces to just be. Priority must be given to the opportunity to bond, learn, share, and celebrate life outside of structures that often serve to dehumanize and demean men. MOC Race Reality retreats led by men of color, offer unique spaces of authenticity, dialogue, and introspection, which are keys to personal growth.
At Race Realities, we believe in ALL people living life to the fullest and that requires intention.
“Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other.” – D. Spangler
The Goddess Garden Spa Overview
In our healing spa, we offer a variety of treatments tailored to your specific needs. Choose from a la carte options, such as a healing massage or Aromatherapy Renewal Facial, or indulge your well-being with our special spa packages. Our wellness therapists offer a variety of massage styles, including Swedish, deep tissue, relaxation, acupressure, Thai, or a customized combination. We also offer Ayurvedic treatments and consultations.
Yoga
The Goddess Garden is a yoga teacher training and retreat center, which is surrounded by huge jungle trees, which follow the path of a small creek. Just a step away, you will find the oldest and most amazing tree in Cahuita. Its roots, as tall as a man, will leave you breathless… in reality it is a temple. This beautiful setting will invite you to practice yoga and meditation. Optional for Race Realities Attendees: Our yoga classes are designed for all levels and are a great way to improve flexibility, strength, and mental clarity.
Excursions and Tours
Cahuita National Park is one of the country’s most biodiverse and beautiful areas, where you can find stunning coral reefs, white sand beaches, lush rainforests, and more. You’ll be accompanied by an experienced guide who will share their passion and knowledge of the park’s history, culture, and wildlife. You’ll also have the opportunity to see some of the park’s most amazing animals, such as toucans, sloths, howler monkeys, hummingbirds, frogs, butterflies, and more.
Another option is a visit to the Bribri indigenous community and breathtaking waterfall, where you can learn the culture, relax, and enjoy the scenery. You’ll swim in the crystal-clear water and taste some of world's best chocolate and the freshest fruits you’ve ever had.
Or what about a Sloth tour or boat ride around Cahuita?
Ocean excursions offer tours for snorkeling, dolphin watching or fishing.
Pura Vida!
Our Team - Directors and Session Facilitators
Mathew Jeanius, MS LMFT
Jeanius is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist focused on mental health for individuals, couples, and families based in Atlanta. In his private practice, Beach Stone Counseling, Jeanius enjoys providing guidance for Black males and people battling substance abuse. Jeanius launched initiatives such as the Fatherhood Speaker series, which showcased the stories of successful Black fathers. As a public speaker, he inspires others to value their family life and relationships. His life’s work is to advocate for those who suffer from mental health issues by bring awareness to this very impactful stressor on living a holistic life. Jeanius' clients include business, sports, and entertainment professionals.
Sonny Kelly, PhD
Dr. Kelly is a master of storytelling, acting, theater arts, poetry, spoken word, group facilitation, interpersonal communication, performance studies, training and teaching. His popular one-man, interactive play, "The Talk," seeks to change minds and create a more equitable community. He wrote the production after giving his 7-year-old son a version of “the talk” — a conversation African-American parents often have with their children about how to act in encounters with the police. Kelly plays more than 20 different characters, including his mom and dad, his sons, and well-known figures like Barack Obama and James Baldwin. Dr. Kelly is committed to a just society and the empowerment of Black men. Visit https://www.legacyheirsproductions.com
Consulting: In-Person and Virtual
Leaders must respond to the disease of Racism. Regardless of how the political winds may blow, it is a virus that has spread in every structure and institution, and it must be eradicated. How one understands how race and racism were birthed and currently operates will dictate the response and action. Race is a constructed term that has divided people in our society since the founding of the colonies and the United States. For far too long conversations have dismissed the important historical economic, legal, and religious policies that have created poor outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
​
My goal is to address the "elephant in the room" by providing instruction and counsel to organizations through critical analysis, research, engaging exercises, and strategic ideation that produce healing and understanding. If you want better organizational results...if you want to learn what they didn't teach you in school...if you want real talk and less fluff....if you are ready to move beyond diversity training, cultural competence, and implicit bias to gain improved team dynamics, better decision-making, and collaborative workgroups, please contact me for a free consultation. I don't market my services. I am informed by leading scholars and activists, my own scholarship and study, institutional and community organizing, and a deep faith of love and service. I remain ever hopeful that we can do and be better.
I am blessed to help clients across the USA through word-of-mouth introductions and referrals. Clients range from individuals, corporations, educational institutions, governmental agencies, non-profits, and sports organizations. (Note: Customized youth programming is available.)
​
​Services include keynote presentations, workshops, strategic and tactical planning, organizational audits, facilitation, and communications strategy.​​​
Partners:
.webp)
.png)
As I wind down my full-time professorial work, I am blessed to be a faculty member in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. I co-founded, designed, and instructed in the popular "Leading for Racial Equity" graduate course that engages students across campus and community leaders. Currently, I enjoy providing insight and strategy on leadership and equity for numerous UNC Schools and departments. A highlight was the creation of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research program. This unique offering was available to the employees of 13 Centers and Institutes. My goal is to encourage inclusion and racial analysis in the classroom and research labs such that we can lift up all of humanity and create more champions of people who want to make the world a better place.
Building upon my invaluable Racial Equity Institute training, I developed Race Realities™. In 2022, I partnered with Learn to Win, a leading educational technology firm, to create an online version.
I was inducted into the university's highest and oldest honorary society, The Order of the Golden Fleece. It is a blessing, although kind of strange from an equity perspective, that I am the first African-American female coach at the University of North Carolina. I am also honored to teach at the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. In 2018, I received the "Salute to Champions" Award from Capitol Broadcasting Company and Deloitte for service work in the community. I am blessed to provide race and racism education to units across campus and beyond. In addition, I serve as an advanced national trainer for the Racial Equity Institute.
