Healing Our Communities: Raising Our Voices Together

Originally published on May 31, 2020 in the Trauma Informed LA's Blog

Co-authored by: Patricia Ramirez, Paula Miley, and Ramona Merchan

Our communities are outraged, and not without cause! We cannot afford to let these injustices go. The time is now to address and dismantle the structural racism embedded in our society.

We stand with you. We will not stop until our communities are able to heal from these wounds and achieve racial equity. As we see these injustices continue across the nation we want to take a moment and make space for our collective grief. We are hurting. Our voices matter.

How do we, as people of color, face the inhumane task of talking to our young black men and women to ensure their safety when systems tasked to protect them continue to fail them and cause fear and distrust? Instead, we need to shift the conversation and hold leaders accountable to these systemic abuses that continue to be perpetuated. 

Not only is civil unrest persisting in our society but we are also in the midst of a global pandemic. 

As wounded healers, we recognize the pain in this moment. People of color, LGBTQ+ immigrants, Native Americans, incarcerated persons, marginalized populations disproportionately affected by poverty, violence, and trauma and are impacted by racial inequity in all systems. Our communities have a lack of assurance that we will be treated with dignity and fairness in all circumstances.

As we name and repair harm we rise to rebuild our communities to reflect who we are. We will continue to lead with our values and center the voices of those who are impacted to be at the forefront of solution building. Let us pursue the greater good without causing more harm. 

This is a moment of introspection when each person must decide how they will contribute to peace, advocacy and justice for our collective healing. 

Image courtesy of sacree frangine