Hi everyone. This newsletter is for Swedenborgians (and friends) who want to learn how to support anti-racism. But we are not going to pretend that we are experts here; we are learning alongside you. There are lots of activists and educators who have been working in the anti-racism field for a long time. Our plan (in the words of Meera Mohan-Graham) is to Absorb and Amplify those voices, and follow their lead.
As we all strive to learn, change, and act together, we invite you join the Manifold Angels Facebook group for connection throughout the journey. The work is just beginning. If you would like to be added to the email list, please contact revshada@gmail.com
We are developing our format as we go, and it is looking like this will be a bi-weekly newsletter. One issue per month will be a deep dive into a particular issue (like our past issues on police brutality or intersectionality and LGBTQ+ rights). The alternating issues (like this one) will be more personal/devotional, aiming to help build stamina and commitment for the ongoing work for racial justice. Thanks for joining us!
Find a small object in your home that brings to mind your privilege. Commit to holding it in your hand for a minute each day, in order to be brought back into awareness of it, and to ground yourself in your commitment to use your privilege to forward racial justice.
FOR INSPIRATION
From Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg:
When you're feeling overwhelmed about how much injustice there is, and how big the problems are:
1) Make a list of three things that you could do that would help, in whatever way.
DO… Start the conversation from a place of curiosity and care. Try framing your questions with sentences like “How might we…” or “I’d be curious to know…”
DO… Lead with “I” statements. Sharing your experience can help others understand their own experiences. Try something like “I have been feeling really overwhelmed by everything going on and at a loss for what to do. What is the news cycle bringing up for you?” Avoid telling your conversation partner how they should feel about what’s going on. If they say something that surprises you or makes you uncomfortable, try to work with them on understanding why they’re thinking that way, and provide context for a different point of view.
DO… Ask open ended questions. Try something like “How have you been feeling about what is going on in the news right now?” or “What are some reactions you’ve had to the protests happening across the country?” or “How is the current news cycle making you think differently about your identity?”
DON’T… End the conversation at the first sign of discomfort. Expect for the conversation to be uncomfortable, and prepare for disagreement. Think about the difference between going outside of your comfort zone to the point where it is towards learning and growth and going into a place of fear where you are no longer growing.
DO… Stay on topic. Your conversation partner may try to deflect your questions by turning the conversation to different topics like “Black-on-Black” crime or violence and looting. Those types of deflections take focus away from the root issues and what the recent protests are actually about: police brutality, systemic racism, and the fight for justice and equality for Black Americans. Try and steer the conversation back to these crucial issues. If you want to prepare for some common responses from white people when confronted with the topic of racism, check out "What to Say When People Deny the Reality of What’s Happening Right Now: Part 1" and Part 2 from Anna Edwards on Instagram. You can also check out this article for a great overview of how to respond to questions about “Black-on-Black” crime.
DON’T… Think you have to do this alone. Bring resources & research, and feel free to start by reading an article together or watching a video to reflect on.
DO... Consider taking a pause and returning to the conversation at a different time if you feel like the conversation is moving more towards conflict and away from conversation. There’s a difference between a conversation that involves disagreement and discomfort, and one that makes you feel unsafe, unheard, or does not feel like it’s moving towards learning. Not everyone is ready to have this conversation, but planting the ideas is a great first start.
A STRETCH...
Sometimes we have the opportunity for a give-and-take conversation (see above). And sometimes we might need to be a "racism interrupter." Often we may stay silent in the face of racism because we don't know what to say. Here are some simple phrases to pause conversation, make clear where you stand, and to open up dialogue.
That's not okay with me
What you just said is harmful
We don't say things like that here
I'm not comfortable with that
I find that offensive
That's not funny
I'm sorry, what?
Hold on. I need to process what you just said
Help me understand your thinking
I didn't realize you think that
Lord, I am part of the tension and injustice of the world.
Forgive our human selfishness, to which I contribute;
heal the resentment between people, of which I am a part;
and come into the world's conflicts, in which I share by being human.
Take my unworthiness and sorrow,
and use them in your great work
of healing and redeeming humanity.
Amen.
(Angela Ashwin)
FROM SWEDENBORG
FROM DIVINE PROVIDENCE 147
"....we have an earthly mind, a spiritual mind, and a heavenly mind, and that we are wholly locked into our earthly mind as long as we are caught up in our compulsions to evil and their pleasures. During all this our spiritual mind is closed. However, as soon as we look into ourselves and realize that our evils are sins against God because they are against divine laws, and therefore try to refrain from them, the Lord opens our spiritual mind and comes into our earthly mind by way of its desires for what is true and good. [God] comes also into our rational processes and from there rearranges the things in our lower, earthly mind that have been in disorder. This is what feels to us like a battle, or like a temptation if we have indulged in these evil pleasures a great deal. There is actually a psychological pain when the pattern of our thoughts is being inverted."
Self-Care(from the National Museum of African American History & Culture)Healthy self-care is an intentional way of living where your values, attitudes, and mindful actions become part of your daily routine.
