Attention as a Sacred Act

How is your community practicing the daring work of deep connection across difference?

This question emerged in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as fifteen women with entrepreneurial spirits gathered in the historic Greenwood District — once known as Black Wall Street. Drawn together by a shared longing for justice, truth, and transformation, they bore witness to both the devastation of the 1921 massacre and the ongoing resilience of a community committed to renewal through storytelling, relationship, and hope.

These women — diverse in race, vocation, and geography — are leaders shaping change in churches and entrepreneurial spaces. Guided by Dr. Lisa Dellinger of Phillips Seminary, they practiced Kitchen Table Conversation, an Indigenous feminist method of dialogue co-developed with Dr. Anne Carter Walker. Together, they listened deeply, spoke honestly, and made space for grief to become understanding.

At Texas Methodist Foundation, we’re learning from them: the work of healing across harm is not fast or easy — it’s sacred. And it requires practice.