The video of the murder of George Floyd is the most recent reminder of the deeply imbedded inequalities and racial division within the U.S. The U.S. has a long history of racial violence. Names such as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland join a long list of thousands of unarmed Black men and women who have been targeted and murdered within the U.S. over the past 400 years. Like many of you, we are left feeling angry, frustrated, saddened, and emotionally exhausted.
“Action will require both inner and outer work”
Systemic racism has existed in the U.S. for far too long. We stand in solidarity with the protesters engaged in peaceful, radical action against systemic racism and who are demanding justice. We wholeheartedly support an end to injustice now.
While we acknowledge our anger, we know anger is not enough. An end to anti-black racism, creating systems change and social transformation requires action. Action will require both inner and outer work. Our innerwork means we dedicate ourselves to learning, cultivating awareness, reflecting on our conditioning, and investigating our own relationship to privilege and oppression. Our outer work means we demand institutional and systemic transformation.
We know that transforming deeply rooted systems of injustice will not be quick nor easy. We remain committed to working for justice, equity and inclusion for the long haul. To our Black colleagues, neighbors, family and friends. Know that we are committed to stand with you. To our white allies, we are depending on you.
To support the inner and outer work required to end systemic oppression, we have compiled a list of resources. Please feel free to access the resources below and share additional resources you are aware of with us. We will add them to this evolving list. Wherever you are on your journey, we hope these resources will support you. If you are trying to understand racism and systemic oppression, our hope is that you will find helpful information here. If you are deeply versed in racism and systemic oppression, our hope is that you will share links to resources with us so that we can add them to this list. We are in this together. Sharing information and resources is one way we can all develop the critical awareness and consciousness necessary to transform our society for the better and build more equitable systems.
We believe the video of George Floyd’s murder sparked an image shift. A shift from complacency to action. Millions of people around the world are no longer comfortable passively witnessing the brutal treatment of Blacks in the U.S. People around the world have decided to take action. We are committed to do our part to create a just and equitable society. Visit our www.strategicfacilitation.com for opportunities to join us.
In solidarity,
The Team at the Center for Strategic Facilitation