We’re writing you so we can bear the weight of this historic and transformative moment together. Our community spirit holds us together even though we have been physically apart for months. We hope that this message finds you well and safe despite all the current challenges we face as acountry and world. We choose to meet these challenges together.
We are grieving and angry over the recent and ongoing violence against Black people in our country. The violent police response to peaceful protestors is disturbing. We encourage our SSFM community members to use this moment of increased exposure and awareness to heal deeply from scars of systemic racism and to take action as led. Here are some steps to consider:
1. *Learn. * We all exist within a racist system. As NPYM’s Uprooting Racism Minute acknowledges, this system “rewards white people with unearned advantages while often punishing people of color with pervasive disadvantages.” It's a life journey to understand and change our role in a
racist system. Here are some suggested books and resources, geared toward white people, to help guide us in that journey:
bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
2. *Give.* If you have the financial resources, consider supporting Black
organizations on the front lines, addressing racism and supporting protestors. Some of the groups our Uprooting Racism committee members support are Movement for Black Lives, Social Justice Fund NW, Race Forward, NAACP, National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, National Bail Out, Black Lives Matter, and Color of Change. This is a beginning list, not an exhaustive one.
3*. Act.* Do what you can to voice your mind, to each other, family and friends, or through protests or letters to elected officials. Consider supporting changes such as police demilitarization and defunding, as well
as other measures to protect lives and reduce systemic racism.
In closing, our thoughts are with each of you in this vibrant community as we face the challenges in this unprecedented time. Please reach out to us and one another in support and love as we find a path toward collective freedom together.
In solidarity, love, and for justice,
SSFM Uprooting Racism committee
*NPYM’s Approved Uprooting Racism Minute (2019)*
North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, an organization of unprogrammed Quaker meetings and worship groups in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana affirm our commitment to live the
intertwined testimonies of Integrity, Equality, and Community as we look to the transformative power of love to guide us in uprooting racism.
Friends recognize the detrimental impact of racism on all people and the injustice of substantial racial disparities. Under Divine guidance, we are led to dismantle the system of white supremacy which rewards white people with unearned advantages while often punishing people of color with
pervasive disadvantages. We seek a deepening awareness of how these privileges and barriers have manifested in each of our lives. We endeavor to use this awareness to act against racial injustice.
We acknowledge that white Friends have erected barriers to Friends of color and continue to perpetuate systemic racism in Quaker systems. We commit to examining Friends’ traditions and actions for barriers that exclude people of color and altering them accordingly. We seek guidance in how to remedy
continued injustices perpetuated by systemic racism and in the creation ofimproved alternatives. Important roles for white Friends include listening directly to and supporting Friends of color, educating other white Friends about racism, and holding each other accountable.
We commit individually and as meetings to take action that dismantles oppressive societal attitudes and institutions, creates equity, and constructs multiracial movements to solve the pressing problems of our times. We accept the challenge to co-create Beloved Community with equality of opportunity, respect, and spiritual and economic well-being for all people everywhere.
We will create a team of Friends who outreach to quarterly meetings, monthly meetings, and worship groups to assess what assistance they would like in uprooting racism, offer resources and/or provide experiential
workshops that allow for deep listening and work toward removing barriers.
Resources supporting these actions can be found at
*https://tinyurl.com/yyo4sctn*
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