SIA Team
Jun 10, 20201 min
In the aftermath of the murders of Amaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we have heard a renewed and urgent call for racial justice. This is a long-overdue reckoning with the racist systems that underlie our culture – in the US, and around the world.
At Spirit in Action, we feel deeply that Black Lives Matter.
We are reflecting, learning, and acting to embody a world where Black people experience abundant life, and where Black communities are strong and free.
In our deepening commitment to social justice, anti-racism, and anti-colonialism, Spirit in Action is reflecting on our responsibility to:
Integrate SIA’s African Advisory Board into our grant decision-making
Support community-led African organizations and African leadership
Update our grant systems – including applications and reporting – to move further away from paternalistic practices
Examine our Board member demographics and understand our whiteness and privilege
Elevate African voices, and centering their experiences, words, and priorities
Always, always listening, growing, learning
There are so many resources for our personal and collective learning right now, and I want to highlight three recommendations:
“What I need from white people right now” By Adele Halliday, United Church of Canada’s General Council Office. (She calls on white people to Pray.Preach.Protest)
“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” By Peggy McIntosh, PhD
“Ibram X. Kendion How to Be an Antiracist” on Unlocking Us with Brene Brown [Podcast]
Ruthia Fuvu and her daughters at their home in Manyamula, Malawi.