This blog first appeared on racialequitypartners.com.
“Answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.” These were among the last words left to us by the late John Lewis. In a New York Times editorial published the day of his funeral, Lewis reminded us not to be deterred, not to be disheartened, not to let difficulty overwhelm us. We must, he said, follow our heart. Follow our moral compass. Follow where the work of social change takes us.
The times in which we live are challenging in every way. We live in a world struggling to survive a pandemic. We live in a time of hatred and fear. We live in a nation deeply divided and in need of healing.
After decades of striving to live out our commitment to racial justice, we have come together under the banner of Racial Equity Partners (REP) to formalize our work.
Our core team is steeped in social justice, public health, housing and homelessness, education, mental health and substance use recovery, and other issues. We support organizations and communities that want to embed racial equity in everything they do. Through assessment, training, action planning, and implementation support, we offer our clients a way forward…a way to operationalize their commitment to becoming antiracist.
We do not know what the days ahead hold. What we do know is that the work of racial justice is foundational to the survival of our society. It requires a sustained commitment and a combination of urgency and persistence. It demands, above all, to be grounded in love. Love for one another. Love for our country and our world. Love driven by a belief that we can do better.
As John Lewis closed his comments, we close ours: “When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
Peace,
Donald, Jeff, and Kavita