Listen, Reflection and Journal Writing
LISTEN to Podcast: Doing Antiracism Work Layla F. Saad
READ: Self Care Toolkit for Personal-Family-Community Care
REFLECT: How are you centering your own self-care within your Anti-racism practice? What is an appointment you can make with yourself regularly for healing/rest/joy/celebration? Describe your next appointment in detail and place your next date with yourself on your calendar.
CLOSING REFLECTION: Im Ain Ani Limi Li? If I am not for myself, who will be for me? Ukisheani Liatzmi Ma Ani? And if I am only for myself who am I? Vi im lo achshav, aimatai? And if not now, when? -Pirkei Avot 1:14:2
As a child I used to travel down from Brooklyn to NC to stay with my grandmother for the Summer. In NC when storms came in the thunder would roll and the floors beneath us would shake. During storms, my grandmother would turn out all the lights in the house and tell me and my cousins “y’all be quiet now and listen…Hashem is speaking to you.” Now as I share this with you today, I hope you realize that it doesn’t really matter whether you believe that NC thunder is the voice of God, just because my Nana said so. What matters is, how my Nana helped us to internalize what it means to be still and listen closely when the world is telling you loudly that there is something bigger than yourself moving through the world…
-Yavilah McCoy
Journal Writing:
- Name “something bigger than yourself” that is currently connecting you to the work of dismantling internalized racism? What is inspiring you to either sit with or move beyond silence?
- What’s one action that you will take in the coming week to use your voice differently in service of deeper racial equity?
