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I believe that justice and equity are at the core of healing. Kaizen Healing Arts strives to create an equitable, just, antiracist and inclusive atmosphere. Given the police killings of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Manuel Ellis and thousands more, given the racist policies that have plagued our country since its inception, given the continued violence against black bodies spanning 400 years, given the school-to-prison pipeline in black communities, given that the so-called great financial systems of this country were literally built by the hands of black Americans who received little to no benefit from those system, and still don’t, I can not be silent.
I recognize the fear, anger, and weariness experienced by people of color as systemic racism comes to the surface again. As a white woman, I cannot claim to experience this pain but I can stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters and use my voice in service of ending racial injustice. As our nation struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn, I acknowledge that these issues do not affect people equally. Due to policies of hate from the top down, throughout our history, black and brown people are bearing the brunt of these crises. It is time to bring these issues to the light.
I am calling on you to join in supporting and uplifting black-led organizations, movements, and organizers that are demanding an end to state-sponsored violence and calling for wider institutional change to end racism. Our community must stand united against racism and injustice. We must not be silent.
As Monique Melton says, “It’s going to take a commitment to unity, a commitment of healing from the dehumanization of white supremacy, it’s going to take a commitment to repairing the harm that has been done in 400 plus years of legalized and racialized terror against Black folks…it’s going to take repairing the harm and doing the work to end the violence…none of that is comfortable….it’s going to take the commitment to unity over doing what’s comfortable and what’s easy [which] is perpetuating white supremacy”.
I offer the following resources to those who want to stand against racism:
26 Ways to Be In the Struggle Beyond the Streets
Support black owned local businesses: https://www.facebook.com/naomiawhite/posts/10158118358531049
List of black owned bookstores, nationwide: https://lithub.com/you-can-order-today-from-these-black-owned-independent-bookstores/
I recommend the following books but there are many, many more, some of which can be found in this Forbes article, along with a list of articles, videos, blogs, podcasts, and more.
The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness by Rhonda Magee
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin J. DiAngelo
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
I leave you with a quote by Desmond Tutu: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."