As our nation struggles with the pain of structural racism, murder, and exploitative systems, many of us are experiencing outrage, heartbreak, fear, and despair.  

As a community committed to naming and addressing collective trauma, we stand in solidarity with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and their families; with Christian Cooper birdwatching in Central Park; and with every person

victimized by unjust systems and unacceptable acts of violence dating back to Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till, and beyond. We stand with Black and Brown people who live under the daily threat of oppression, discrimination, injustice, and violence. We stand with their non-Black allies who are using their privilege to work for change. We stand with those law enforcement officers and community leaders who – despite complex and oppressive systems – live and serve with integrity. And we stand with all who promote healing and resilience in our homes, schools, and communities.

To the Black community – we see and respect the pain of your past and present experience, and we commit to doing more and doing better as we prioritize anti-racism in our own work. And to those within our community who are seeking to improve or enhance their allyship – we invite you to join Resources for Resilience™ in acknowledging the ways in which we, as individuals and white-led organizations, contribute to a culture of inequity. Understanding that ignorance is, and always has been, weaponized in our country, we will continue to educate ourselves and our children as we strive to dismantle the systems of oppression that still exist today. We invite each of you join us in rejecting complicity, honoring the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and standing up or “taking a knee” for justice and equity.

Resources for Resilience™ will carry on in our efforts to prevent and mitigate the effects of toxic stress and adversity in our world through connection. For those seeking ways to join us in our efforts, please consider learning more about and supporting Umoja Health, Wellness, and Justice Collective as one powerful example of community resilience. Together with Umoja, Resources for Resilience ™ will be hosting distinct Listening Circles for Communities of Color and their allies in the coming weeks. Following the guidance of our trusted colleagues, we have made the conscious choice to host these Listening Circles separately to honor the unique cultural and somatic contexts in which racialized trauma and traumas of oppression are experienced. Our Listening Circles are intended to promote compassion, connection, healing, and resilience in ourselves and our communities. Please join our mailing list to find out more about these opportunities.

Connection will be our path forward – through it, there is safe room for rage, grief, healing, and the brain-online actions it will take to generate vast systems changes. Together, we can create a future that is far more equitable than our past.