Please join the Mad River Valley Anti-Racism Initiative (MRVARI's) monthly discussion this Sunday evening 9/24, from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Village Meeting House (ground floor of the Waitsfield Church). Anyone may attend; there's no need to have come before.
The problem of systemic racism has not gone away. Indeed, it continues to function as an ongoing, deadly threat to the wellbeing of our nation. At MRVARI, we find that talking about the issue, including discovering and counteracting our own blind spots, is an important step toward dismantling toxic systems (both inner and outer). In addition to all the talk, we emphasize engaging in actions that will serve to overturn these systems.
In a complicated world, a world in which we are encouraged to cling to ironclad belief systems, readying ourselves for battle against "ignorant" ones on the other side, it's easy to lose track of how much we all have in common. Fortunately, living in a small town can help us resist the pull toward "us and them" thinking:
It's hard to maintain a stance of opposition when you're standing by the coffee grinder at Mehuron's, catching up with your former 5th grade teacher, who loved and supported you as a child – and whom you see as more "conservative" or "liberal" than you perceive yourself to be. Or maybe you're a volunteer EMT, hustling into an ambulance in the middle of the night, responding to the call of a young mother whose baby is suffering respiratory distress. You meet your buddies at the station: steady, knowledgeable colleagues who may vote differently than you do. And together you go help your tiny little neighbor.
In this way, within the shelter of a close-knit community, we're downright lucky: we have a better chance at resisting the riptides of an "othering" mindset. We can talk.
Yes, the world is complex, and yes, we're all caught within systems that seek to obscure or destroy our basic humanity. But we have each other, and only together can we work through the complexities, toward healthy solutions. We can learn from one another, gaining the confidence to speak up, respectfully and clearly, in the service of what we feel is right.
Sometimes, folks ask me to describe what MRVARI is about. I do my best, but honestly, words frequently fail me. Here's a passage from "The Inner Work of Racial Justice" by Rhonda V. Magee (professor of law at the University of San Francisco), that gets at the heart of our approach:
"… But just talking about race, even among people we know and love, seems so dicey and so fraught with potential for conflict and confusion that we need support. We need support in the cultivation of the ability to sit compassionately with and talk about our own particular experiences with race, race-related injury, and alienation. We need help developing the capacity to be able to listen to the very different stories of others with compassion; to have conversations across lines of real and perceived difference that help and heal, rather than hamper and hurt; and to exercise the will to come back for more, with increasing capacity for empathy and a deepening desire for others to heal and thrive in the world."
Please consider joining us this Sunday evening – the discussions are interesting, respectful, and important. I hope to see you there!
Wrenn Compere, facilitator
Nov 14, 2024, 1 to 2:30 PM
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2nd Annual Toy Swap!Nov 16, 2024, 10 AM to 12 PM