“If you’re silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” ~ Zora Neale Hurston.
The purpose of light is to allow us to see things in their fullness. For me, the relationship between light and truth is a powerful elixir. Grounded in self-love and love of my community, I once again turn the light of my truth on another story about my experience of anti-Black racism in the charitable sector. This story has been four years in the making and today I testify from a brave place. I am grateful for my journey here because in this spot clarity and validation are abundant.
I first shared this story as a lecture in November 2022 at the University of British Columbia as one of their first Scholars in Residence on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. It was a gift to share my experiences and scholarship at the intersection of race and power, specifically illuminating what happens when conscious Black people are invited into spaces dominated by white supremacy culture. Sharing my truth with a live audience was in part an affirmation of my humanity. I continue my activism here as a lesson and expression of love.
In the dedication of our book Collecting Courage, the Editors wrote, “To our Black community, in all its diversity, our truth, our stories are ours to tell. Our voices are power. We summon you to testify, to document and to share your life.” Silence has always been an ill-fitting suit, not made for me. This is a documenting.
…and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.
~ Audre Lorde, A Litany for Survival
In celebration of Black love, I give you, Us and Them: What It Really Means to Belong.
https://lnkd.in/gpjrJ4RW
#CollectingCourage #blacklove
Mide Akerewusi, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Econ), CSR-P, CDEP., Múthoní Karíukí HBSc, MPNL, CFRE, Nicole Salmon, Camila Pereira, PhD, Rickesh Lakhani, Elizabeth LeClair, Mazarine Treyz, Christal M. Cherry, Birgit Smith Burton, Nicole Jamrozinski, Esther Saehyun L., Stephen Hinds, MA, CPHR, CHRL, ACC, Dr. Julie Berthoud-Jury, CFRE, Cathy Barrick (she/her/hers), Scott Russell, The Empathy Agency Inc.
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