Recent events in our nation—COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd and other African Americans, demonstrations asserting the truth yet again that Black Lives Matter—is a reminder of how fragile community can be. We at Recovery Café Longmont join with millions of Americans in grief and anger at the relentless persistence of systemic racism and oppression.
Mindful of this fragility, we are recommitting ourselves to creating and nurturing healing, loving, inclusive community.
At Recovery Café Longmont, individuals from all backgrounds are valued and embraced with compassion, mutual respect and dignity. We know our members are extremely vulnerable; rarely can they afford quality healthcare and mental health and addiction services. We’re also acutely aware that not only is the inability to access needed services dehumanizing, but it disproportionately impacts low-income individuals and communities of color. In some areas of the country, African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at twice the expected rate. And we must acknowledge that in our own community of Longmont, where residents are testing positive for the virus at a rate more than double that of neighboring cities, racism and oppression are significant factors.
Therefore, we stand with other Recovery Cafés in the Recovery Café Network around the country in our conviction that every life is sacred and of equal, immeasurable value.
Accordingly:
- we categorically condemn the murders of black people and the suffocating, systemic racism from which these murders arise;
- we acknowledge the collective trauma of people of color triggered by on-going brutality;
- we commit to expose and heal hatred in Longmont and in our own hearts and minds;
- we will continue to create safe spaces for all to share their stories and to grow in compassion and action through a deeper understanding of the stories of others;
- we will continue to seek authentic relationships that cross racial barriers, transforming us and our world.
Community does not just happen—it is created. The responsibility of creating loving, inclusive community, therefore, is a responsibility we all must shoulder.
