This week we are sharing a meaningful article by our friend, Joshua Gorman. Joshua is on the Namchak Advisory Board and is coordinating the Campus Ambassadors Program along with the Namchak team. He is also awriter, changemaker, youth worker, community builder, founder of Generation Waking Up, and organizer at Thrive East Bay in Oakland, CA. Find him on Medium, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The issues we are facing in the world right now seem so looming and dark that I can get stuck in a place of feeling like my efforts (as a white-identifying person located in Montana) are useless against 400-plus years of systematic racism. This piece from Joshua helped me make some sense of the world and reminded me that my work is to stay engaged, to show up in the ways I can be useful and not give into feeling like I can’t really help. Please read his entire article, “This Pandemic. It’s Systemic.” here and enjoy the excerpts below:

When we search for the root cause of our interrelated crises, we discover a worldview based on separation, competition, endless growth, and exploitation.

This calls me to examine myself and the ways that I view myself as separate from others. If someone casually asked me if I thought I was separate from others, I would immediately say, “No, of course not!” However, I grew up in a world based on competition, so surely these beliefs exist in me somewhere. It is my job to gain awareness of where and how they exist within me and play out in my daily life.

Let’s be clear: Understanding that our movements and peoples are all connected is not a cause for some type of simple rah-rah-rah, happy dance and celebration. It’s not an excuse to sit back, relax,and wait for some inevitable liberation; nor is it an excuse to bypass the ways that we are complicit with the oppression of the past and present. It’s a call for us to engage more fully, deeply,and broadly; to come together in solidarity on behalf of each other’s struggles and liberation.

I appreciate this paragraph because it serves as a reminder that I cannot just do a few helpful things and call it good. I need to stay committed albeit uncomfortable, for as long as it takes.

Some say that we were made for these times. Whatever your perspective, we are alive at this pivotal moment and we all have a role to play: marching on the streets, organizing in our communities, storytelling and writing songs for the revolution, making art, preparing food, caring for others, mentoring and teaching, donating funds, sharing your heart, gifts and medicine, however you are able to. This is a time of mass awakening and we all are being called to show up and become something we have never been before.

Yes, I am here at this critical time, and someday when I look back, I want to be able to say that I did everything I could to create a just world. Thanks for encouraging us to keep moving forward, Joshua. Your words are appreciated.

Be sure to checkout this List of Resources for Taking Action & Going Deeper!

Published on Jun 25 09 : 19 am