We are in a moment where silence speaks loudly. So I want to reach out and connect. Our national gaze once again turns toward the loss of life for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade. We know there are many others who didn’t make the evening news. There are lives to be mourned, surely. Our actions and responses aren’t uniform because our lived experiences with racism aren’t the same. Healing spaces are needed. Justice demands change. A call to action around our shared responsibility to dismantle racism and white supremacist systems is needed. As an Alliance, we have informally adopted a value of equity. We have work to do.
Racism is a public health crisis. We can take action toward equity and social justice by participating in the American Public Health Association’s upcoming webinar, “Racism: The Ultimate Underlying Condition”. These conversations and requisite actions are necessary and relevant to our work. They are hard but essential- where to start? In every way, centering BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/People of Color) voices is what we should be doing right now. Lonnie Ridgeway, regional co-chair for the Alliance, speaks up in this video. Need some care and love? Irresistible has shared the following Black-led conversations and practices for healing from racialized trauma:
- Blackness & Belonging conversation & Reflection on Belonging practice from Prentis Hemphill, for healing from the traumas of anti-Black racism
- Rest as Reparations conversation & The Perfect Nap practice from The Nap Ministry, for restoration & ancestral healing through rest
To engage folks around race equity work, Collective Impact Forum shared this list of anti-racism resources. Strategic Prevention Solutions shared a 21-day Racial Equity Challenge. And more healing and care from Irresistible- Ancestral Connection for Anti-Racist White Folks with Jardana Peacock & Kelly Germaine.
This is just a piece of the practice. In our Alliance spring meeting, we discussed the potential for an equity workgroup. More to come, soon, on that. At any time, if you think we need to be doing something more/different/else, please reach out. We make the road by walking. Thank you for walking this road with me.
For more information or to get involved, please reach out to Recover Alaska program manager and coordinator for the Alliance, Jess Limbird, [email protected].