This is the part of the journey where we are being asked to move without proof, where our faith and ferocity are being called up as not ever before. I’m hearing and seeing Black people fully enraged and utterly exhausted and join them in that rage, and honor their exhaustion.
I’ve been actively despairing and grieving, and wondering what kinds of fresh miracles it will take to cause truly substantial shifts. I’m seeing glimmers of a vision of what it can be- both in our lifetimes and far beyond.
It’s being called the tipping point.
I think it’s the tipping over, uncovering, and mightily revealing of the most horrifying parts of ourselves and our country, that we’ve been unwilling to look at or change.
Black
Lives
Matter.
How can it still be incendiary to say and believe that?
And yet sometimes it is, because everyone is in a different stage of awakening, and not everyone understands the concept.
Some people want to be sure to say loudly and repetitively that all lives matter, because they’re afraid that theirs doesn’t.
Of course all lives matter.
No one is saying that they don’t.
We are all just being asked now to focus on all the Black people being hurt and killed and discriminated against every day.
And it has to stop.
Black people can’t wait anymore for everyone to be awake at the same time.
And we can’t wait either.
These killings are a systematic poison that has to be surfaced and seen in the biggest ways imaginable, and then new kinds of actions taken on every level to change it forever.
Each of us has our powerfull parts to play.
My purpose is to be an uplifter, transformer and laser beam of love, and I’ve been offering that through my books, products, programs and teachings for over 30 years. I’ve used my white privilege to benefit oppressed people, and to detriment when I didn’t know or understand how it worked, and just used it to benefit myself and my work.
I’ve also had the luxury of opting out of having to do the work of taking my white privilege apart and seeing how it has harmed, and does harm others. I’m engaged in that work now and realize that its ongoing.
As I study and learn more about racism, I’m awakening to more of my patterns and unknowings, and am getting support to be able to do better.
I also understand now more than ever before how my white privilege can be leveraged even more as a force for good, & am dreaming up new ways to be of use for diversity and social change.
What’s your part? Where can you go beyond despair and outrage? How can despair activate you?
We all have unique gifts to share in this world shaping time of changes.
I’ll love to hear your vision of what miracles there could be, or what you already are, or could see yourself, contributing. Leave me a note if you want to share.
If you’re reading this on social media, I’m not interested in reading any more defensive explanations or deliberately racist comments. If you feel compelled to offer those, know that they will be deleted- not only from my page, but from my consciousness.
If you’re one of my email subscribers, I- as much as I can- welcome our differences and political differences too. If you really know yourself to be a racist, and you’re okay with that, you’d be better off departing from my communications.
I understand that we all hold unconscious biases and that the definition of racism itself is fluid, so if you’re aware of the racist patterns you hold, and are working on eradicating them- welcome- so am I, and we’ll keep learning and growing together.
Just to be extra clear, I’m actively learning what it means to be anti-racist and committed to continuing to educate myself to be able to practice being able to be an ally to Black people and people of color. And I’m creating more innovative ways to share their transformative stories and life experiences to support change and growth. I’m so inspired about that!
I’ll be inviting you to share about that with me in a future Magic Blog.
I’ve been reading lots of comments saying that SARK shouldn’t get involved in this kind of struggle- that aren’t I just about fun and inspiration?
If you think that, you haven’t read my books, taken my programs, experienced mentoring with me, or known what I stand for.
Now you do.
And I’m going to be even more vocal and visible about what I believe in and how I’m planning to be of even more use, to support the continued growth of the newly inclusive version of the world that I believe is now beginning to more powerfully emerge.
So let’s get newly moving with our great big hearts LIT UP and find worthy replacements for hate, and the courage to keep generating fresh miracles forevermore and helping others to do the same.
Thank you for coming to these resources, and for being a re-source for change.
The majority of my readers are white, so this list is focused there. For my Black and people of color readers, I want you to know that I’m implementing new ongoing actions in my company and and activating as many people as I can possibly reach, and listening now more than ever to Black voices.
Feel free to add any other resources in the comments and know that I’m actively reading, listening, sharing, donating and creating resources to inspire myself and everyone I can reach to take actions now and ongoingly.
I’m posting actions and education on my main SARK Facebook page and on Instagram and am considering adding an amplifying Black voices feature to my Magic Blog, and have already started adding social justice and diversity initiatives to my Succulent Wild World membership. I am committed to continuing to weave diversity into my business activities, and educate myself ongoingly.
To Donate:
Breona Taylor was shot eight times and killed by police in her own home. As of now, no charges have been filed against any of the three officers involved in her death.
Go HERE to help support Breona Taylor’s family’s demand for justice. Additionally, you can take these actions by making your voice heard below.
1) Email Mayor Greg Fischer to demand that the LMPD fire and revoke pensions of the officers who murdered Breonna; and arrest, charge, and convict them for this crime. Email: [email protected]
2) Demand that special prosecutor Daniel Cameron comport with full transparency and accountability. Email: [email protected]
George Floyd, who was black, died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee down on Floyd’s check for more than eight minutes while Floyd cried out he couldn’t breathe. To help George Floyd’s family with legal fees, and continued care for his children, go HERE
Go HERE for the Minnesota Freedom Fund: Grassroots organization helping to support and bail out protestors
Go HERE for the NAACP: a civil rights organization helping to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
Go HERE for the Southern Poverty Law Center. It monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the U.S. and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, and the media. The SPLC is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.
Go HERE for #BlackLivesMatter. This foundation is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, they are winning immediate improvements in our lives.
To Sign Up For Change:
Go HERE to join Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) to build a mass base of people breaking white silence by signing up here and share this graphic on your Facebook and social media pages to invite others to sign up as well.
To Educate Yourself and Others:
Go HERE for the great replay of Trudi Lebron’s Show Up & Serve Workshop for White Coaches and leaders
Go HERE for “Dear white people, this is what we want you to do”
Go HERE for 4 ways white people can process their emotions without hijacking the conversation on racial justice.
If You Love Reading:
GO HERE to read from this great collective resource 5 min at a time & then keep going: Anti-Racism Resources for White People: “Conscious/Spiritual/Leader” Edition
Books to Activate You:
My Grandmothers Hands: by Resmaa Menakem; Healing racialized trauma through the body (I’m currently immersed in this work and LOVING the wisdom and cellular changes I’m experiencing)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Sayad
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
What If I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits For Culturally Effective People by Verna A. Myers
Racing to Justice by John A. Powell
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Follow and Be Inspired to Action By:
MOVE your way along with this work and keep your awareness and actions moving and growing- not only through these times of crisis- through all the times.
Sending us all the willingness to act and keep acting for all the necessary changes, and asking for, and receiving all the miracles.
Love,
??❤??❤
Rereading A New Earth to get back to the “I am/ awakened Source awareness
I am an Indigenous reader and appreciate you standing up – Immensely. You are a laser beam of love and so many of the tools that you have birthed can be used to help dismantle white supremacy. I would love to see an amplifying Black voices feature on your Magic Blog – sharing space/moving over to make space for diverse voices/ideas/magic is a part of the solution.
This is heavy lifting for all of us.
Have you considered having a team of paid diverse succulent consultants who can help guide inclusive excellence practices in your work?
Thank you Succulent Tamara for teaching me about excellence (having common language also helps the cause of dismantling white supremacy), Tamaras Succulents Toward Racial Healing gathering was expertly facilitated with a beautiful mix of creativity, testimony, teaching & learning – integrating more opportunities to learn like that would be helpful too (w expert teachers/facilitators or we’re doing more harm then good).
SARKS place can be a place where we can practice inclusive excellence so we can stretch/develop/strengthen our wings to soar beyond the safety of SWW.
Butterflies,
j*
I signed up for a violence prevention class at the Center For Domestic Peace last summer. The class is 52 weeks. My classmates are court-mandated. 25 women. We are white, black, Hispanic, Asian. A wide range of ages and life circumstances. I signed up voluntarily to be proactive, to better manage the HUGE angry that comes with a marriage and family (mine) being blown up by infidelity. But there is more, much more being taught in that class. There is a section in my class workbook….”Cultural and Ethnic Sensitivity.” The section in the violence prevention workbook addressing racism. Racism is violence. Racism, like all flavors of violence, is a belief system that is taught and adopted. I can’t change anyone’s belief systems but my own. It is up to me to delete faulty belief systems and learn new ones. And then speak up speak up, walk the talk. Instead of God Bless America, how can I be a blessing to America, and everyone else I share the planet with?
Our DNA is greater than 99.9% identical. That’s all the proof I need that we are a human family. Our life experiences and circumstances are not identical. IMHO that’s why we need to help each other and stand up for each other. Our blood is the same color. We all need each other. If you’re here on Earth, no matter what your Earth suit looks like, you are part of and belong and you’re supposed to be here, just like every leaf and raindrop and cloud and bird. We all have gifts and talents to share with the world.
I have been in recovery for a few decades and I often speak at our local detox center. Addiction affects all colors of Earth suits, all life circumstances. To help others achieve sobriety and work a program of recovery, which means studying at the school of Better Personhood, one day at a time, and walking that talk, is one way I can help empower and re-able all of my human race family members.
SARK, you’re a Love Army four star general, with your mission of teaching LOVE and ACCEPTANCE and TOLERANCE, etc. It seems very natural that speaking up about BELONGING
and KIND AND LOVING TOWARD ALL (against racism) is very much SARK territory.
I’ve been taught to look for similarities rather than the differences….and that means I have greater than 99.9 places to find it today with everyone who crosses my path or needs my help.
❤️ (we all have one of these….let’s use ‘em).
Thank you for your message and resources. I’ve been engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion work for the past decade and have seen a deterioration since 2016. To those who say you shouldn’t get political—that is privilege. The politics of division practiced by our “leadership” weaponizes race,, amongst other things, and has used it as a tool to continue to degrade the lives of Americans. Your work has been about making life beautiful and I can think of no better application than using it to work against the disease of racism that has consumed American culture.
Proud of you, SARK❣️