Undoing Racism
Horrible crimes and racial injustice continue. The true pandemic of racism and hatred that has plagued our society for way too long.
We all carry forward the Trauma of our Ancestors in our DNA whatever color you are. For Whites its the trauma of being the oppressor, of an expectation of supremacy. For people of color its the horrific ongoing memory and effects of slavery, genocide, and institutionalized racism.
We must all heal this trauma on a cellular level that plagues our species.
To make a lasting change, I invite you do your part in being anti-racist:
- Do not be silent
- Take Action
- Interrupt
- Stand in Solidarity
- Call in and Call out
Understanding the issues
In 2011 I was part of a team of community leaders in an Undoing Racism three day workshop put on by the Pachamama Alliance and facilitated by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.
The understanding of how Race was created is paramount to understanding what lays at the foundation of the disfunction of systemic racism that we are needing to dismantle and heal and so that we can move forward in a way that is just and equitable.
Colonialism has taken the lives of over 280 million people of color and indigenous people around the world in it’s effort to gain power.
In the building of America, looking back to immigration through Ellis Island it is important to understand that the construct of “race” was created.
Not all white people were considered white when they arrived. Irish, Italians and Jews were the last groups to be assimilated into what America called the “White Race.”
When immigrants arrived they went through and assimilation process. They had programs that were designed to deprogram them of their cultures. People were told how to live, what to wear (not to wear), speak, eat., etc.
By conforming to these rules of assimilation they would be afforded all of benefits of America’s white culture which meant having access to the best education, health care, loans, housing, etc.
In this way the very fabric of industrialized system America was woven. These systems were designed to marginalize and keep black people, indigenous people and other POC from having the same opportunities and oppress our communities through genocide and a new system of slavery via an unjust judicial system.
These systems continue today. While we may think that some of the overtly racist policies may seem to have been abolished. They actually have just been turned into more unseen forms and policies. Furthermore, the consciousness of the expectation of privilege continues to prevail in the collective consciousness.
To undo racism, we must undo this infrastructure, the millions of policies that are still in place.
Until this is done, the privilege that a few experience will always be tainted with the blood and the oppression of BIPOC.
Resources
10 Documentaries to watch about race instead of asking a person of color to explain it to you.
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
“This book is anti-racist (20 lessons on how to wake up, take action and do the work) ~ Tiffany Jewell
“Me and White Supremacy” ~ Layla Saad
An open letter to Spiritual White Folks
Why Black Lives Matter in the Hawaiian Kingdom
Let’s talk about Anti-Blackness
Your kids aren’t too young to talk about racism.
Protesting Safely
Be safe when you're out there protesting 🖤 For folks who are new to social justice actions:
