Racism: on listening, learning and taking action
/With so much happening both in my personal live as well in the world, I decided to stay in silence last week. I decided to take time to heal and deal with my personal issues, but also to listen to the voices that have come out in force in the last week over the issue of racism and white supremacy.
One of the first things I understood from these voices finally on the limelight, was the desire for the voices of people of colour to be heard. That now, more than ever, it is time to listen, to learn and take action.
On listening
I decided to put into action listening first.
One of the things I listened first was the request to keep quiet for the week, in order to allow the voices of people of colour and what they had to say to be heard. To give them more space to speak their truth and share the experiences of their every day experiences. Have you actually ever stopped and wondered how their every day lives are compared to yours?
While listening, I understood that as a white woman, I was being asked to educate myself on the issues of racism, white supremacy and my own unconscious racism.
I trust that by showing up, listening deeply, we will know on an individual level what needs to be done.
On learning
Back in January 2019, I wrote my only ever post on racism (you can find it both on Facebook and Instagram). At the end of 2018 I found myself having really uncomfortable conversations around racism with a few of my white friends and my passion for this subject was ignited. One of the actions I decided to take at that time, was to make sure that I follow a more diverse group of people on my social media.
This has indeed been a way of educating myself, but it may be time to actually invest a bit more time and money (as much as I can at the moment) in going deeper into this subject. I have invested in some books and a course and will be making time for these in the weeks and months to come.
As someone who really enjoys reading, I find it an incredible learning tool, I intend to continue to broaden the list of authors to include even more authors from diverse backgrounds and people of colour in particular.
As a fan of experiential learning, reading and immersing myself in the experience of someone else, have brought a deeper understanding of many matters in what it means to be human on this planet, both in the past as in the present.
To me, learning also means to go deeper within myself. To see what is within my grasp and how my attitude can change.
After all, it starts with awareness of the self. The more we are aware of our behaviours and how they are affecting others less heard, others with access to less than we do, we will be guided into what is the action for each one of us.
We don’t all have to do everything. And we have to also create the time and space to honour our needs. Trust that the bit that you can do right now makes a difference.
On taking action
I took action once by writing about racism and the few times I called out a few of my white friends, but after that, I did nothing else.
When I listened, I understood that taking action is not only now, in the heat of the moment. I wanted to find a sustainable way of continuing to take action in the long term, not just now.
This is what I came up with:
I generally tend to post once a week. On top of that, I am committing myself to repost on social media once a week from women of colour for at least the next month to start with. In the future I will also be adding other diverse voices to my reposting.
My focus is on women and so I will be reposting mostly women, this may of course change from time to time. In the future I want to also add a variety of other voices and issues that normally do not have the spotlight on them.
I cannot speak for others, but at least I can use this platform to amplify the voices of others who historically have not had their voices heard.
My aim is to give them more visibility. To have them show up in as many white women and white people’s screens as possible. Maybe someone else can support them in a different way. I want people to be better informed and to listen to others perspectives.
I want to start by focusing on women of colour here in the UK, because this is where I live now. But it is possible I will also repost from women elsewhere in the world.
I will ask you at the beginning of every post, to repost from the original, share, like, comment and support, in whatever way you can. This will help more of these women being seen in a wider network.
For now, this is what feels right for me and in the place I am at the moment. I want to be able to continue to stand for the less heard voices. I know how important it has been for my own healing, to be heard. It’s time to facilitate the listening of others too.
This space has become more and more about sharing my experience of life from a perspective of trauma. I have mentioned that I am still feeling a bit uncertain about what I am to offer to the world and I hope to continue to be guided by life's big and small adjustments and see where it leads me.
I also wanted to add that it feels more important than ever to honour your needs, to listen to yourself, to question everything, just not for the sake of it, but to make sure that it feels right for you.
If you feel like there is not much you can do about this subject, I believe that the most important one is listening. Find more time to listen. The rest will come.
But don’t stop there. Keep going, have in mind the disparity that this current world, society and culture creates. Be aware, and now yes, stay alert! Stay alert for unfairness, stay alert for injustice, stay alert for any opportunity that may show up in your life, where you can show up for someone else that may have less opportunities than you.
I believe that change has a bigger space in the everyday life. Look around your immediate surroundings and see what you can do.
Sometimes, finding time for just listening, can bring on learning and from learning, action soon follows.
Every month I send an email to your inbox with a summary of what has come up for me and a bit more on the background of my life.
Pelagia Pais is still figuring out what to call herself and her offer to the world. She is an Intuitive, a Coach, a Healer, a Writer, an Artist and so much more of what lies in between. For now you can read more of what she experiences and shares in her blog ‘It’s not all happiness and coconuts’ (www.pelagiapais.com/blog).
If you are looking for a morning routine to help you ground your energy in yourself, be more present and start the day feeling calm and centred, check her Morning Star Practice - A Standing Guided Meditation here: www.pelagiapais.com/shop. The practice is available in different prices that suit all pockets and is a form of contributing to her work and continued offerings.