EARTH /// HEART /// vol. 4

Although roots go unseen

there’s no denying they are there

foundation is everything

the beginning and end of a cycle 

There is no rise for all if the roots of injustice stay rotting. As a collective it is in our power to each take part in the collapse of our current society — for the better, and equally just enrichment of Black and Indigenous lives. We can help turn over the garden bed, and give it back to its rightful owners. 

For 400 years, history has been repeating itself for the ancestors of the enslaved in the form of systemic racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, financial inequity, stolen land, and stolen lives. The degree of unchecked privilege, bias, and lack of awareness from non-Black folks has equally been repeating itself complacently causing the harmful experiences, innocent murders, and deaths of an entire race. 

Add a global pandemic that affects Black and Indigenous communities at a greater disadvantage because of a racist healthcare system, and you have just begun to scratch the tip of the iceberg. This goes deep, and permeates every field that is meant to ensure the basic rights for all.

We live in a world where white supremacy is learned, which means it can also be unlearned. It starts at home, in schools, the work place, medical fields, art institutions, environmental practices, and economic resurgences. To deny that we have lived in a society that celebrates colonizers, slave owners, and confederate soldiers that have only recently begun to be removed from statue status in cities across the nation is to deny how deeply rooted oppression is in our everyday lives.

We are at a turning point of cycles, the end meets the beginning.

It’s time we reevaluate the roots to change the course of growth for all.

Do your work.The history of this nation can no longer be hidden or protected.

Know your foundation. Truly acknowledge what your values have been built upon, and by who. Be accountable. Anti-racist work isn’t a 30 day challenge or a brownie point for allyship, this is actively dismantling white supremacy for real systemic change. Listen to BIPOC experiences. There have been countless books, films, and podcasts on the matter. Choose one, and keep choosing. Support Black and Indigenous business. This is tending to the community while amplifying the individual. Pay attention. How has your privilege allowed you to move through the world unaware or complicit? Shut down injustice. Your racist family member isn’t just “annoying” anymore, they’re upholding the structure. Do something. 

Again, there is no rise for all if the roots of injustice stay rotting.

So grab a shovel, and dig in.

With Love,

Rosie Llewellyn

Rasa Yoga — Sustainability Leader