May we always have the courage to bear witness, to see ourselves as the other and to see others as ourselves.
– Dedication, Gate of Sweet Nectar Liturgy adapted by Bernie Glassman
Join Zen Peacemakers in April 2027 for Race in America, an immersive retreat in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Rooted in deep listening and the power of place, together we will bear witness to racial separation and division and to the many forms of suffering that arise from our differences and affect us all.
The Race in America Retreat is an opportunity to listen to many voices, to share our differences and recognize our interconnectedness, and to come together as one body.
The retreat is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. Peacemaking takes place between people with different experiences – we sometimes learn the most from our differences. We invite you to bring stories from your life, and to learn from others.
Montgomery and its people will be our primary teachers. We will visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, where more than 4,400 Black people killed in racial terror lynchings are remembered. Each day will include silent meditation and reading their names aloud. We will listen to the experiences of people in the local community and to each other, meeting daily in small groups and together as a whole. We will also gather for interfaith liturgy and share communal meals, with dedicated lodging for a deeply immersive experience.
Zen Peacemakers has been holding retreats rooted in Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Taking Action for over thirty years, from Auschwitz to Rwanda to the Black Hills of South Dakota.
This will be our seventh retreat in Alabama, led by a diverse group of spirit holders in collaboration with Black communities and local organizations in Montgomery.
Racial separation based on difference and the suffering that arises from it persists.
Together, grounded in community and presence, we will bear witness to what was and what is, and to the racial divisions that continue to permeate our lives today. If you have been before, we encourage you to come again. Every retreat is different; every experience unique as we let go of fixed ideas and open our hearts together.
We invite you to join us in Alabama this April. All are welcome.
Places are limited.
Register before January 15th for the Early Bird Tuition Discount!
RACE IN AMERICA RETREAT
April 15-19, 2027
Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Please reach out if cost is an obstacle. Scholarships are available, as is guidance for inviting community support by raising a mala, and those in the Zen Peacemaker Order are eligible for reduced tuition to attend. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Donations to support the participation of others are most welcome and appreciated. You can make a contribution here.
Questions? Contact us at retreats@zenpeacemakers.org
Photos from previous Race in America Retreats with Zen Peacemakers
Why Montgomery?
Situated on the banks of the Alabama River, on lands inhabited by the Muscogee (Creek) and other Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, Montgomery was one of the main centers of the enslavement and racial segregation of Black people in America, and an epicenter of Civil Rights actions that emerged in response, led by Black residents seeking to end the violent racial caste system.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery is the nation’s first comprehensive memorial to the victims of racial terror lynchings, and the Legacy Museum provides an immersive experience with first-person accounts of racial subjugation in America, from enslavement to mass incarceration. Built on the site of a former warehouse where enslaved Black people were imprisoned before sale, the 11,000-square-foot museum sits midway between Montgomery’s historic slave market and the main river dock and train station that transported tens of thousands of enslaved people at the height of the domestic slave trade.
