The recent wave of anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and legislation across the United States should not and does not surprise justice advocates and changemakers. We know the playbook of traditional power structures that organize to chip away at hard-fought gains won over the span of multiple generations.
We stay vigilant as more than 30 states have introduced legislation banning or limiting DEI initiatives during this legislative session alone, including here in Missouri. This undoing is another step in the increasingly overt and accepted movement towards institutionalized oppression. Anti-Blackness is an important and often overlooked dimension of the backlash against DEI work and impact.
Internalized racism is a form of oppression that is a direct product of an external racial classification system.
We believe that transformed people transform systems. Inner transformation for Black people is actualized when we name, reckon with and heal from racial trauma and the pervasive toxicity caused by structural racism and white supremacy – hallmarks of the systems that makeup the fabric of America. Internalized racism is a form of oppression that is a direct product of an external racial classification system.
The effects of white supremacy can be seen everywhere – skin color, facial features and hair texture have all been weaponized against Black people worldwide. Black leaders are often called to continue the relentless fight of systems change work without taking the time to address this trauma ourselves. Without the space to heal ourselves, we will not be able to sustain the movement towards the just and liberated world.
It is in recognition of this need that we established the Institute for Black Liberation (the Institute), which gives Black people in the Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois region the opportunity to explore the creation of race, the roles of science and Christianity weaponized by colonization in spreading racial hierarchy, anti-Blackness as justification for stealing resources and enslaving humans, and many other historical events that led to the installation and internalization of racism. The Institute gives Black people the necessary chance to heal and recover from the ways in which racism landed in their lives and impacted their mind, soul, and body.
Too often we hear from Black nonprofit and DEI leaders that the unhealed emotional labor of their work leads to negative and unproductive outcomes, with many living in a persistent state of exhaustion. How do we expect to continue forward this way? In our current standard of persisting without self-care in a communal context, we are only draining our spirits and inhibiting our full potential. Liberation begins with disrupting the dominant culture of unwellness.
A sustainable movement must hold space for people to replenish, heal, and unlearn the internalized racism instilled through the perpetuation of white supremacy and systemic oppression. This self-reflective work is transformational. We have seen participants of the Institute become clearer in their identity, stronger in their convictions, and refueled with a strong sense of confidence and purpose.
As we disentangle ourselves from what we have been taught and believe about ourselves, there is always a next step. The Institute itself was born out of a vision created and refined over the course of a 30-year long, and still ongoing, healing journey. This work knows no age, and Institute participants have ranged from 25 to 83 years old. Wherever you are on this road there is space for you.
We have seen how building a safe space gives our participants the room to be vulnerable and face the hardest parts of their lives. In building the Institute, it is our aspiration that each participant will carry the lessons learned forward into their own lives, work, and communities. We hope that their own transformation will allow them to guide others in healing and unlearning. This ripple effect will be immeasurable in creating a sustainable movement towards justice throughout generations.
It is time to recognize that we cannot catalyze this change without first breaking free from what holds us back from realizing our greatness. We can be both relentless in our pursuit to leave the world better for generations to come, and we give ourselves grace and space to mend our hearts, minds, and bodies. Healing that begins from within will lead us to well and powerful leaders who will revolutionize the relationship between systems and people. The Institute is cause for celebration.Rev. Bethany Johnson-Javois is Deaconess Foundation president and CEO. Rudy Nickens is the director for the Institute for Black Liberation at the Deaconess Foundation
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