Dear Windhorse Community,
We are writing this to join our voices to the outrage over the killing of George Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis by police officers who are charged with protection of the public. This is too familiar of an event, reaching back into the darkest and basest history of this country. Clearly, shameful American ignorance should not be tolerated in the whispers and collusions of silence. The horrifying video of Mr. Floyd’s killing is widely available, and the collective outrage roils across the streets of our – country coast to coast. Change and healing starts with bringing details into the full light of day, and into the open forum of public accountability.
Outrage can turn to change, or to more violence. The killing of Mr. Floyd is an extreme expression of our own ignorance, insular habits and practices, and the ways our lack of response regularly harms those in our community who identify with marginalized communities. We are committed to continued self-examination and transformation, to a deepening process of awakening to the human dignity and basic goodness we all share.
These painful times have a potential for us all to deepen our commitment to educate and engage our community in creating an environment that is inclusive of marginalized voices. We want to take this opportunity, when there is widespread awakening throughout the world to the injustices and inequities, to open dialogues and more importantly to listen. The Windhorse approach is rooted in the understanding that we are all equal in our basic goodness, but this is not reflected in the wider culture, in the treatment of vulnerable populations and marginalized communities, particularly the Black Communities. We are exploring how to translate this opening into deep rooted change within ourselves and our Windhorse community. To start, we are:
planning a series of educational opportunities for staff to study and share personal experiences to better understand our interdependence, inviting outside voices to teach the staff community to expand our understanding of diversity and inclusivity,
continuing to actively hire staff from diverse backgrounds, and
continuing to expand, create, and market our services to a broad demographic that includes individuals of all races, classes, genders, and sexual orientations.
We acknowledge that being located in Boulder, CO which lacks diversity, puts us in a position of privilege. We are acutely aware that we don’t have the answers, but we are determined to listen and uncover our own biases and prejudices in order to add to the conversation.
Protect your heart and gather your confidence. Guard against the collapse of despair. In separation we despair; together we raise each other’s confidence to improve and raise-up the best of humanity. We stand together with all who are fighting for social justice and welcome the growth that this moment in time demands.
Black Lives Matter!
Sincerely,
The WCS Community:
Polly Banerjee Gallagher, MA, LPC – Director
Jack Gipple, MA, LPC, CAC III – Clinical Services Manager
Jeff Roaderick, MA – Operations Manager
Rebecca Diaz
Richard John Kinane
Elysa Polovin
Wesley Barnes
Gretchen Kahre
Gabriel Santiago
Lori Heintzelman
Daniel Green
Beka Davis
Lindsay Wolf
Kelley Day MEd, MA
Johanna Black, LCSW
Bob Stromwall
Anne Marie DiGiacomo
Eugenie Morton
Marta Aarli