Here we are.
A table with a black table cloth with blank sheets of paper and a pen on a rustic wooden clipboard, a candle, and some wooden hearts.
We’re in an immense and important moment, witnessing the most recent manifestation of centuries of systemic racism finally entering public consciousness in a big new way. It’s vast. And like many people, I don’t know how to speak about it, or if I even should.
I am a white person steeped in white privilege, unlearning and messing up and stumbling around. My deepest desire is to do no harm, so my instinct is to keep my mouth shut. Often that is the right choice. But I also know that mess is part of change, and if we try to do everything perfectly, we don’t grow, and we don’t contribute to the real, authentic growth of the world around us.
Austin Channing Brown (so amazing, check her out if you don’t know her already) wrote on Instagram this morning: “I believe firmly that to practice love is to disrupt the status quo which is masquerading as peace.” YES. I am here for that.
So, I’m cobbling some words together, imperfectly, humbly, hopefully. I’m sharing this list of actions I’m taking towards bringing more justice and equity to my little acre. I’m inviting your feedback and critique on all of it. I’m always listening.
I want to highlight that we have launched an expanded scholarship fund for Black, Brown, Indigenous and other Racialized people. If you are a BIPOC person who wants to take one of the workshops below this summer and is facing financial barriers, drop us a line so we can get you set up to register without having to pay a deposit. All classes will be PWYC for BIPOC writers until the fund runs out. You’ll have a chance to talk to the facilitator and assess if this is a safe space before you start. (Want to contribute to this fund? Wonderful! Drop us a line.)
I also want to share these powerful Toronto-based Black educators. I’m not the person to turn to when it comes to finding your place in this conversation about race and power, but these brilliant, powerful, heart-strong women may be. Their work is wide and deep and authentic and profound and they have all helped me along my own still-unfolding path.
Rania El Mujammar is a writer and facilitator of workshops on anti-oppression, equity, inclusion and liberation. She’s also a poet and storyteller. Her workshops are intensely lively, fun and challenging. We’ve bought season passes for the team to take as many of these as they can — they have led to huge debriefs, storms of texts and beautiful a-ha moments. I’m so grateful for this human! And her workshops are all online right now, bonus for all of you outside of Toronto.
Soma Integrative Wellness, made of MeLisa Moore and nisha ahuja, is a Toronto-based team blending traditional healing with racial equity work. I’ve done powerful one-on-one work with MeLisa around helping me find and loosen internalized bias and limits. They are currently promoting their self-paced online class Radical Deep Love. Their work is rigorous also also gentle, connected and deeply authentic.
Leesa Renee Hall leads people in using self-reflection and expressive writing to unpack their unconscious biases and interrogate their inner oppressors. I just discovered her this month and had one of those “Where have you been all my life” moments. Her work is geared to people who identify as “highly sensitive” (*raises hand!) She has a ton of writing prompts on her website and leads 10-day “inner field trips” four times a year. I’m on one now.
Of course there are millions more people who could be on this list. Reply and share your own resources if you would like.
Thank you for being here. Here’s to each of us finding our own way to fight for a kinder and juster world.
In it with you,
