On this day of George Floyd’s funeral and since his murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, throughout the nationwide protests for change and healing of systemic and brutal racism in our country, we have been soul-searching and asking ourselves:
How can we authentically participate in the creation of an equitable society free from racism and violence; how can we be of service to those who are suffering; what can we say and do with integrity to support the Black community in their time of anguish that will not just be hollow platitudes and empty gestures?
We are striving to find these answers, but as Former President Jimmy Carter recently said, “Silence can be as deadly as violence,” so we begin today by voicing our support for the Black Lives Matter movement for Sustainable Transformation in Our Communities across the nation.
Our communities are divided and in crisis because our Black neighbors’ lives are in danger. Black citizens of this country live in a constant state of internalized fear and trauma, with the threat of abuse and all too often death from the very institutions which have sworn to uphold the law and protect all human lives.
Entrenched systemic racism can only be transformed by the practice of opening ourselves to their experiences. For us, this begins by listening, learning, engaging, empathizing, observing, cultivating a deeper awareness for this suffering, and financially supporting racial healing and social justice initiatives within the Black community.
We can allow our hearts to be changed by their voices. It’s only through this process that we can transform. We can all do and be so much more – let’s work on this together.
- Listen to Resmaa Menakem at the On Being podcast, “Notice the Rage, Notice the Silence.” https://onbeing.org/programs/resmaa-menakem-notice-the-rage-notice-the-silence/
- Listen to Ijeoma Oluo at the JEDI Collaborative website. https://jedicollaborative.com/
In partnership for a better world,
Karen & Bob, Owners