Here are a couple of links on healing the harms, divisions, and culture of racism in the US. Please see them all and comment in reply to this post. I think we need this follow-up after the last two weeks’ posts. Your thoughts?
This link is about a resolution to create a congressional commission in DC to study and report on systemic racism in the US and its impacts on African Americans.
Advocating a truth commission: https://theconversation.com/to-fight-us-racism-research-prescribes-a-nationwide-healing-process-140679
Ruby Sales 20 minute talk is well worth your time, as her experiences and wisdom are remarkable and perhaps inspirational. Please give her a listen.
After reading and watching these resources, it stands out that being open minded, and educating yourself and others is the most important step when wanting peace. The idea of healing the racial division in the U.S. is really big and important. At the end of the day every human wants to have peace and respect in their life that’s why these resources make it clear that dividing yourself from the other race or a group is only causing more hurt. Hurting other people or making them feel less worthy is not a solution to anything. As it states in the article “Healing is about utilizing the authentic stories of individuals to help understand and embrace our common humanity, to remind each of us of our own humanity and the power we have to generate change, and to welcome our role in going beyond winning individual struggles for change to changing the structures, systems, policies, and practices that divide us,” said Dr. Christopher. I agree with this idea because don’t expect others to understand where you come from if the effort of understanding and listening to them is not the same. In the video Ruby sales also shares an emotion story of her own that shows even from a person who was hurt from white people and loved by a white person she advised us to be open minded, to show redemption and to listen to others. She emphasizes redemption rather than punishment, she thinks institutionalized racism, also known as systemic bias or “the culture of whiteness,” is the problem rather than white people themselves, and believes that technology should be used to bring people together rather than divide. After all, it all comes to having thoughtful intentions and not being ignorant.
While I was reading this, it stood out to me how important it is for people to know about the truth and how it actually is, how educating yourself and others is the most important when desiring peace and wanting to stop racism. As stated in the U.S. Movement for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (USTRHT), the recognition of history and exploring the truth is a way of repairing and healing the United States after years of living with and in the sin of slavery. On the other hand, when I was watching the video, it highlighted redemption. Ruby believes in bringing people together rather than dividing them even more. With new technology, it is important to not be ignorant and use it to work together and not pull away from something that can lead to more division and more discrimination.