Ubuntu: The Work of Racial Healing | LaJune Montgomery Tabron | TEDxBoston

Healing is not abstract—it is personal, collective, and deeply necessary.

Drawing from her memoir How We Heal and her leadership in advancing racial equity, LaJune Montgomery Tabron explores what it truly takes to repair the divisions that shape American life. Through stories of racial healing circles, shared fate, and moral courage, she shows that confronting painful truths is not an act of blame, but of connection.

This talk reframes racial healing as a participatory process—one grounded in empathy, honest dialogue, and the belief that our futures are bound together. With reflections inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the principle of Ubuntu, and the wisdom of children, the talk offers a hopeful yet demanding vision: a future where healing is not optional, but essential to building a society in which all children can thrive. LaJune Montgomery Tabron is President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Since joining the foundation in 1987, Tabron has risen through the organization to become its first woman and first African American chief executive, leading efforts to advance thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.

Tabron currently serves as Chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust and sits on several boards, including Bronson Healthcare Group, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA).

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is also a Certified Public Accountant, bringing deep financial and organizational expertise to her leadership in philanthropy and racial equity. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx