ANNOUNCING THE RACIAL HEALING PROJECT
For the past seven years, I’ve been on a path of internal development and learning to step into the work of collective liberation as a wealthy white man. My guiding questions: “Why am I here? What is the work that is uniquely mine to do?”
This journey has led me to see that true healing for society can happen — when we create the conditions for reciprocity that is informed by historical patterns of privilege and oppression.
In that vein, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Racial Healing Project, a program of Community Change, Inc (where I serve on the board of directors). We’ll be throwing our Drylongso Awards as a virtual gala from 7:00–8:00pm EST on Nov. 13th, where we’ll be announcing the launch formally. Can you join us? Tickets are free though we’re inviting folks to donate or consider sponsoring the event.
Community Change is a 53 year old anti-racism non-profit whose community has vastly supported my growth and development. For decades, CCI was training up many of the people who I look to for guidance around racial justice work today. Five years ago, I joined the board of CCI and have been serving ever since.
The hypothesis of the Racial Healing Project boils down to this: life has always required creating the conditions for reciprocity — where every living thing has a place in relationship. Today, as always, we must find our way to reciprocity with movements for collective liberation to defend life from those who would happily sacrifice humanity and the world in the pursuit of financial capital. The people best positioned to guide our movements are care workers…those who clean our toilets, teach our kids, bathe our elderly folks, listen to us, cook for us, hold our difficult emotions, take out the garbage, etc. Care workers know what it means to create conditions for reciprocity, and thus have vast leadership potential for our movements. It’s no coincidence that society consistently minimizes these kinds of workers and their contributions — their political leadership is a threat to capitalism, because care work is the necessary foundation for economic and spiritual liberation.
In the face of a culture that aggressively minimizes care work, CCI is launching the Racial Healing Project, which will support working class care workers of color to step into greater political leadership. To support that work, we will also organize class-privileged white people who are seeking belonging in movements for liberation, but do not have adequate support to commit to a lifelong alignment with movements. As they experience what it is like to build supportive, nourishing community with other white people, we will build our capacity to show up to multiracial cross-class movement spaces with everything we’ve got — time, knowledge, money, expertise, etc. And we will come with a spirit of solidarity, not charity.
I would love for you to have the chance to learn more about our work. I hope you’ll consider joining us on November 13th.
Best,
Abraham
