In 2011 my then CEO, Herbie Flores signed us up to join a group of Springfield leaders on a City to City trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. He stated that it was going to be a teachable moment in my budding career.

As the trip progressed, those teachable moments were evident in the exchange of ideas but also in the small talk that occurred among our fellow travelers. I heard things like, “The best way to fix the Springfield Public Schools is to annex Longmeadow” and other suggestions that sounded a lot like gentrification. If Herbie was also within earshot, we exchanged a look which we would continue to exchange throughout my tenure at his organization. It is a signal that acknowledges and validates all at once. That is, a signal people of color exchange so as to comfort one another with, “I heard it, too, and, yes, you heard correctly.”

At a certain point during this trip, I disengaged. I was ready to get home and was not interested in any more learning. Still, that day we found ourselves at a presentation by the local chamber of commerce. A young woman of color presented their Healing Racism program and cried as she described how difficult but rewarding the work had been up to that point.

I remember feeling empathy but also frustration because I felt she had given too much of herself to the audience. Then, something completely unexpected happened. John Davis, of American Saw and the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, stood and declared he would bring the Healing Racism program to Springfield and any of us who wanted to help, should let him know.

I had never met John. I only knew enough to know that this is not something he had to do. Before dinner that evening, I handed him my card and told him I wanted to join his effort. His courage then, and commitment since, have kept me connected to the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley.

Years later, and under the leadership of Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, the institute trained over 1,000 people across the state. In May, we found ourselves searching for a new director amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. I suggested I could help continue the work until the position was filled. On May 25, George Floyd was killed, and we understood the importance of our work more than ever.

Since then, we have worked to expand our programming, include virtual options, expand our board membership, initiate facilitator training to grow our bench, file for 501 c(3) designation with the IRS and launch a million-dollar fundraising campaign. In addition, we continue to learn about the needs of Western Massachusetts organizations and institutions as they initiate their work towards building an equitable work and service environment.

We describe the work of becoming anti-racist as a process that starts with the hearts and minds of individuals. These individuals then have the opportunity to learn how to build a critical mass of allies within their organizations by building their relational and contextual capacity. That is, community building through the lens of a higher standard of humanity and dignity. Ours is a space where we learn to listen and acknowledge how racism and privilege affects the person sitting next to us.

Later and after much practice, we invite organizations to examine their culture and policies and procedures through this new lens. The result, we expect will be transformational.

Our greatest value is that by building this capacity within organizations, it becomes best practice, inherent, and part of their fabric. We believe this is true because as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley is at an important juncture to challenge the status quo and the demand continues to grow dramatically for our services to make systemic change. In addition to our long-standing collaborations with organizations like the Springfield Public Schools, we have a growing list of partners in the business, nonprofit, and educational sectors willing to engage in a difficult conversation and process of healing.

Our program will leave behind, as part of our engagement, a safe and systemic way to dismantle bigotry and prejudice on the organizational or company level. After all, to defeat a systemic problem requires a systemic solution. We sincerely thank our current partners and invite others to engage us in the process to build racism free organizations and communities.

I have reflected often on that moment in Grand Rapids when that woman presented her work. I regret not being more generous to her and the emotion she displayed. I imagine she, too, has seen egregious acts but also acts of courage throughout her career. Moreover, naively I was frustrated with a very human response to a human experience. When in fact, she was showing us the way towards that higher standard of humanity.

Source: Masslive