Session 2
Our ‘Tribe Vibe’ was melodious, complimentary, harmonious and groovy. Our instruments were our hums, our hands tapping on our chests and tables, our words and our laughter all set to syncopation. Honestly, I believe we were surprised at how well we flowed together as ONE unified choir while maintaining the unique vibe of our individual tribes (our tables). The sensation was described as sweet, happy, peaceful, smooth, helpful, hopeful and inspiring.
Then came the cacophony!—the harsh, jarring, discordant mixture of sounds from beating trash cans, lids and yelling! This invoked feelings of tension, fear, anxiety, misunderstanding, and a desire to flee.
When we talk about issues of race/sim, we don’t want to contribute to the cacophony of popular race rhetoric that seems to be the norm these days. We don’t want to fan the flames of the molotov cocktail of personal, political and religious perspectives void of historical context and full of emotional vomiting, systemically unaware news coverage of race-related events, and motives void of nurturing understanding, healing, and unity! We refuse to engage in a way that adds to the fear, anxiety, hopelessness, pain, and injustice that exhausts us all.
Before we explode on social media or deface a monument or ‘avoid talking about race so it will go away,’ we ask ourselves, Are my thoughts and actions helpful, hopeful, inspiring and encouraging? Am I contributing to healing and change? We do our homework. We do our research. We recognize RACE as the GIANT ENEMY and people as victims of it’s deception, legacy and intimidation! WE WILL NOT SLING ROCKS AT PEOPLE!
As we build our capacity to engage in courageous conversations and living in the chasm of racial division, WE WILL BE CREATORS of safe spaces where people can be transparent and vulnerable. Inspired and sustained by love, such spaces cultivate healing and change that overflow into the lives of those around us. And that’s what we are going for…because when race/ism is addressed in the context of love, it loses its power!
’Til we meet again!
This month’s homework assignment is designed to equip you to view media and cultural representations with a more critical eye. We are looking forward to your comments.
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