ANTIRACISM WORK IS WORK OF THE HEART.
creating an antiracist society is rooted in inner work //
This is work of the heart - we cannot heal the physiological collective trauma on our nervous systems through talking alone. this matters.
Pain, grief, guilt, rage, sadness, fear, despair - these are emotions of heart. We cannot talk and learn them away. These are sensations that live in our bodies.
whether you are racialized or white, you either carry the intergenerational story of the terror of enslavement, of your land being stolen, of indentured work, of oppression - or you carry the intergenerational imprint of being in positions of power, of inflicting injustice on others. we cannot escape these stories. this is in our DNA.
White folks - You can spend a thousand hours reading + learning + educating yourself - but staying here is to stay in the safety net of privilege. this is distraction from the real work, in action. Embodied antiracism work is heart-connected, rooted in creating humanity for ALL people.
If you have spent the last 4 months reading about the impacts of racism, but haven’t yet vocally taken a stance to help dismantle racist policies, now is the time. If you haven’t spoken up yet about your “all-white” workplace, now is the time.
If you haven’t yet sat in reflection to really “feel” the enormity of pain, grief, guilt and sadness, now is the time.
EMBODIED ANTIRACISM IS INNER WORK.
We will not change policies or dismantle oppression in wellness spaces, until those in positions of power connect to the deep emotions of love, compassion, empathy and justice - to really “see” and “feel” the people who have been desperately fighting to be acknowledged as worthy - and until that connection to embodied empathy is strong enough to initiate a re-balancing of power.