Listening & Learning: A Reflection
At Exhale to Inhale, we remain committed to the Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racism movements. As we continue to learn (and unlearn) we thought we would share some of our reflections and their impacts for our work.
Follow the leadership of those who are most oppressed.
Our partner Third Root hosted a two-part workshop “Ally to Accomplice”. As part of the wellness world, we learned that we must address oppression in order to focus on wellness. It is important to understand this intersection to truly be accessible with our services. Racism and anti-blackness has been so internalized that it can be tracked on a nervous system level and work must be done at every level for each of us. Finally, this work is about solidarity—not charity—we are here to support and empower communities and we must have the right mentality in order to do this effectively and mindfully.
Understanding the intersection and importance of anti-violence and anti-oppression work.
Futures Without Violence created a video series, which you can view here. Our main takeaway from this series is that anti-violence and anti-oppression work are intertwined. We need to look at the systems and environments in which our students live. Moving forward, we must examine our current systems meant to serve survivors and think about which survivors are being excluded. Both within Exhale to Inhale and in our partner organizations we need to be mindful of the undue burden that often falls on BIPOC staff and advocates to avoid secondary trauma and burnout. And we must do the work, especially as leaders in the anti-violence field.
Things to keep in mind when navigating advocacy.
We are grateful for Natasha Johnson, JD/RYT, Social Entrepreneur, Academic, Attorney, Activist, and Exhale to Inhale teacher, in taking the time to speak with our community about navigating advocacy. Our primary takeaway was the importance of truly listening. Active listening will best inform us how to support marginalized communities. For us, this means asking what our students and staff need and how we can best support those needs. We also must focus on understanding the systems that perpetuate inequality and challenge these systems as well as collaborate with those who are also doing this work and support each other.
