Black Lives Matter.
Dear clients, friends, and families of The Sonatina Center,
We are outraged and heartbroken over the murder of George Floyd and the hundreds of other innocent black men and women killed by police. We are appalled by the ongoing and unchecked racism and systematic oppression that is visible everywhere in our nation.
To our White friends and colleagues, it’s hard to know what to say and there is often fear that one will say the wrong thing. That fear keeps many silent, and silence despite it’s seemingly good intention, is compliance with the way things are. Ignored behavior is condoned behavior. We cannot be silent.
We are angry. We are frustrated. We are grieving. We are exhausted. We are not done.
George Floyd was murdered for being a Black man in America. Breonna Taylor was murdered for being a Black woman in America. Tony McDade was murdered for being a Black trans man in America.
We write to you today to make our stance clear. Black Lives Matter.
This is more than a hashtag, more than a black box on instagram, more than a conversation. This is a dedication to being actively anti-racist. This is a dedication to dismantling systems of oppression and violence. This is a dedication to empowering and amplifying the voices and experiences of Black, Indiginous, and People of Color. This is a dedication to healing the trauma that Black, Indiginous, and People of Color have experienced for generations. This is a dedication to educating ourselves and our community members to build our own awareness of biases, privilege, and participation in white supremacy and other acts/systems of oppression.
As therapists, it is always our goal to create safe spaces for all. As stated in our mission, we strive to support and empower all individuals. We are devoted to our clients AND our community and we strive to make it better. While we strive to create inclusive spaces, we recognize that we are not separate or immune to systematic racism and oppression. We know that we can do better and we are committed to doing so.
We have no tolerance for racism. We want to lift up the voices of Black, Indiginous, and People of Color. We pledge that we will not silently condone the actions of others through our own inactions. We will continue to grow and to educate ourselves and to recognize our own biases. We will work and learn as individuals, as therapists, and as an organization. We will hold others accountable to do the same.
New Hampshire and greater New England, is a majority White region. Because of that, many of us have been privileged to not have to think critically about race. It can be a place of discomfort and unease. Acknowledging these feelings and critically evaluating them is the first step in dismantling our own internalized racism, which is difficult work we all have to do.
We are committed to having the tough conversations, openly, honestly, and without judgement. We are also committed to the ongoing improvement of our own multi-cultural competencies as helping professionals and to take actions that actively support the Black community and antiracist work.
The following are some of the resources we are providing and contributing to and we hope you will join us:
A FREE Online Open Conversation About How to Talk to Your Kids About Race - Join us on Google Meet on Tuesday, June 9th at 7 pm facilitated by Marissa Scott, MA, MT-BC, CLD & Cacia King, MM, MT-BC
A FREE Online Open Conversation About Personal Biases and Antiracism Work - Join us on Google meet on Wednesday, June 10th at 7pm facilitated by Rebecca Gildea, MT-BC
FREE Services to BIPOC: The Sonatina Center is committed to direct actions that help bridge the gap for access to mental health services by providing free group and individual music and art therapy services to black, indigenous, and people of color.
Volunteer or Donate to the ACLU of New Hampshire - a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
Try the Implicit Bias Activity to help you examine your own implicit biases.
Explore these children’s books to help explain or start a conversation about race and racism with the young children in your life.
Check out the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire to learn about and appreciate Black heritage in New Hampshire.
Listen to the Code Switch Podcast to hear engaging conversations regarding subjects of race, and how race impacts our lives and our world.
Listen to this TED talk by Jay Smooth about how to talk about race.
Follow Check Your Privilege on Instagram founded by Myisha Hill who is “Walking with folx on their journey to dismantle their relationship with systems of domination”
Listen to Seeing White Podcast focused on tracing the historical lineage of the construction of race and the systems that continue to hold it up.
Read How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. There are so many great books to be reading, in fact, The Guardian, The Times, and USA Today are just a few publications putting together antiracist reading lists.
And if this list is just scratching the surface! Check out this incredible resource list compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein. Or this list on Medium. Or this list from Greater Good Mag.
Sincerely,
The Team Members of The Sonatina Center
(Marissa Scott, Jordan Elias, Rebecca Gildea, Kay Baldoumas, Cacia King, and Aliah Marden)