RACE RELAY® began in 2005 in a living room, with a small group of friends asking a simple but powerful question: When has race made a difference in your life? Colleen, Fred, and Denise invited people of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to sit in a circle and share personal stories rooted in lived experience. Over three afternoons, stories emerged that were heartbreaking, illuminating, challenging, and deeply human—revealing how race shapes everyday life in visible and unseen ways.
These early story-sharing circles became the foundation for a theatrical exploration of race and healing. Drawing directly from participants’ experiences, monologues and short scenes were developed into a half-hour performance. In 2007, this first version of RACE RELAY® premiered at Tinlark Gallery in Hollywood, California, featuring five actors and a percussionist. Though the audience was small, the response was clear and enthusiastic: tell more stories—and make space for us to share ours.
Over the next several years, the project evolved into a larger, multimedia production. Video clips from broadcast news and television, along with excerpts from books, magazines, and online media, were woven into the performance to reflect the constant stream of racial messaging that shapes public consciousness. These elements highlighted both the overt and subtle ways race is portrayed—and often distorted—in American society.
In 2011, RACE RELAY® was presented in its most extensive form to date in the West Athens community, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission. The response affirmed what had been building since those first living-room conversations: storytelling, when paired with dialogue and care, can help communities engage race in ways that are accessible, healing, and transformative.
Since then, RACE RELAY® has continued to grow through site-specific productions and community partnerships, including work with the Mayme Clayton Library and Museum of Culver City, Common Peace Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence, SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans), the University of Southern California (USC) in collaboration with the California African American Museum, the Santa Monica Public Library, New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles, and the Burbank Human Relations Council. Our most recent production was developed in collaboration with Santa Monica College (SMC).
From a living room circle to community stages and classrooms, RACE RELAY® remains rooted in the belief that story is medicine—and that sharing our truths can move us toward understanding, connection, and change.
At RACE RELAY®, we value storytelling as a bridge between communities. Join us in sharing meaningful tales that can lead to understanding and connection. Your voice matters. Together, let’s create a welcoming space where every story is valued and celebrated.
