Putting Away Our Erasers
I attended a Tacoma Symphony concert last month. The energy of the theater was abuzz with anticipation, yet there was an undercurrent of unsettledness (as seen through the eyes of an energy healer — perhaps its source was most of us being out of comfy clothes for the first time in years). The concert featured the dazzling pianist Pallavi Mahidhara. With the first notes of the orchestra, the majesty of live music calmed the energy, though not completely.
When Mahidhara took the stage for her encore, she said instead of a solo, she and the chorus, Symphony Tacoma Voices, would perform the Ukrainian national anthem. There was a collective gasp of appreciation from the audience, and everyone stood as the music began. The energy of unsettledness shifted fully to that of compassion. Its vibration filled the room and for those few moments, we felt the potency of standing together, in unity.
Dictionary.com defines unity as “a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one.” It prompts us to consider how — with differing backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences – we can find commonalities that link us together in a magnificent mosaic.
For the April Equity Conversation, our Board and volunteers will be exploring Cultural Competency. What is cultural competence? “It is the ability to understand and effectively interact with people from cultures different from our own. It requires the following: a basic understanding of your own culture and ethnicity; a willingness to learn about the cultural practices and worldview of others; a positive attitude toward cultural differences; and a willingness to accept and respect these differences.” [Source: What is cultural competence, and why is it important? (bctpartners.com)]
Fundamentally, cultural competence is an invitation to examine the premise of the stories we tell ourselves – about our own experiences and about what we believe are truths about everyone else, particularly “truths” that can feel limiting or dismissive. Author and poet Ocean Vuong observed, “Sometimes you are erased before you are given the choice of stating who you are.” Assumptions are erasers.
Emphatically stating who you are has come up several times at the HYPE Center. We’ve had young people who have said they are “totally psychic” or “one of the Indigo children” or they “know how to throw their energy” – perhaps calculated for shock value to bewilder us “old folks” but in each instance, hearing their declarations, we validated them. The choice to state how they saw themselves came with an awareness they were among people they could trust — who understood when many adults in their lives had scoffed at how they defined themselves.
There is power in defining ourselves and creating space for others to do so as well. That’s part of building cultural competence. You don’t need a formal DEI training session to practice building cultural competence. Listening carefully and responding thoughtfully, with your own willingness to be a bit vulnerable, are great starting points.
Speaking of starting points, I am delighted to share that we have signed a partnership agreement with the Tacoma Housing Authority to work with their new 2GEN program. This pilot “emphasizes a two-generational approach to housing and family stability for families with school-aged youth, with wrap-around services focused on family goal setting, social-emotional learning, and practice.” We are excited to be part of the team and anticipate starting our sessions in June.
It feels like the energy of change is in the air. Let’s embrace it, recognizing we’re all in this together and the more we understand one another; the more our own unique inner light shines brightly on another, we are creating conditions for a consciousness of unity to grow.
And one final note, for this National Volunteer Month, a tremendous thank you to our amazing team of volunteers. Your passion, your enthusiasm, and your commitment to Soul Seeds are greatly appreciated – we couldn’t do it without you!
Melanie Davis-Jones (she/her/hers)
Executive Director
In Case You Missed It:
Empower Your Grounding – For Rapid Emotional Stability | This video by founder, Nancy Rebecca explores the top six energetic reasons why you experience anxiety triggers and a way to manage them.
Resources:
Earth Day is April 22. “For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens … a partnership for the planet.” [Earth Day: The Official Site | EARTHDAY.ORG]
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s theme is Building Safe Online Spaces Together. “We can build inclusive, safe environments … making respect the norm everywhere, taking action to promote the safety of others, and showing survivors they are believed and supported.” [National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)]
April is also the National Month of Hope – “celebrating the belief that things will work out, especially when it seems otherwise … let’s become bearers of hope — spread it and teach it!”
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