HeARTbeat Collective

Melt(ed) in May at the Montague Retreat Center

Message in Support of Social Justice

For years, the HeARTbeat Collective has done our best to create spaces and events where a diverse group of people could come together and for a short time, be in a space where they knew they were welcome, that they had what they needed, and that their voice, perspectives, culture and even pantheons were honored.

We have done our best to inspire beyond offering snapshots of what we call “weekend enlightenment”. After hundreds of events and sharing with thousands of attendees -- from ecstatic experiences to understanding and healing trauma -- we would like to take this moment to offer our respect and gratitude for the People of Color in our family and recognize the pains and frustrations that are coming to the surface after yet another senseless murder at the hands of hateful police. We see you, we hear you, we support you. Thank you for teaching us, for sharing your songs, art and culture with us. Thank you for dancing with us and for sharing your truths and beauty with us. Thank you for being an integral part of the very best of what we are as a community.

To the white members of our family, one of our philosophies has been, “if it makes me uneasy, it could hold the key that frees me.” We would like to acknowledge that, although many of us have considered racism a disgrace, our own distaste and fear of it has kept us from self examination. This knee jerk reaction has helped calcify our complicity in systemic racism. If there is a place in your heart that is crying out to be an ally at this time, we encourage you to take time to educate yourself on the perspective of the black experience in American going back to 1619 right through today. It is on those of us who are white to take this up at this time. You may have been blessed enough to have a Person of Color that has felt safe enough or had the patience to share their experiences with you in the past. But know that this falls on the shoulders of white people. Those of us who are part of the oppressor culture need to pull off our armor, face our fears, and educate ourselves. We honor that this work is not easy, and promise to lead by example.

If you are looking for a place to start, we offer the resources below.

As we continue to co-create culture together, we welcome your perspective on how we can be better at what we do. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@heartbeatcollective.org. Stay strong everyone, we’re listening, and we love you, and we are looking forward to being in circle together soon.

Please Hear Us Say Thank You.

• Bell Hooks: Teaching to Transgress (GoodReads)
• Robin Diangelo White Fragility: Why its so hard for white people to talk about racism (GoodReads)
• Tracing the Trade (documentary) (Vimeo)
• Black Lives Matter (blacklivesmatter.com)
• 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversation on Race, Racism, and Resistance (embracerace.org)
• NAACP (Twitter | Instagram | Facebook)
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Color of Change (colorofchange.org)
• Real Justice PAC. (RealJusticePAC.org) The Real Justice PAC works to elect reform-minded prosecutors at the county and municipal level who are committed to using the powers of their office to fight structural racism and defend our communities from abuse by state power.
• Shaun King (Instagram)
• DeeperThanWater (deeperthanwater.org) is a coalition of organizations dedicated to exposing the rampant human rights abuses that prisoners in the United States are subjected to, using the lens of water justice to highlight the toxicity of the carceral state.