For those of us who support community healing and know that dismantling racism is at the very foundation of this, there are many ways that we as herbalists can show up for and support each other. Whether sending first aid supplies to those stopping pipelines, remedies for tear gas exposure and grief to community members affirming that Black Lives Matters, teas and glycerites to free and sliding-scale clinics, salves to the US/Mexican border, or fundraising for people of color-led projects, there are many details we can be attentive to so that our herbal support is truly rooted in solidarity. We’ll explore not only the practical details of coordinating herbal donations, but how we can do so in a way that interrupts the all-too-common ‘white savior’ complex and ego tripping. Deeply exploring our intentions and impacts strengthens our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the plants, so that we can make and share good medicine and be part of cultivating collective healing.
The description above is for a workshop that I'm teaching at the New England Women's Herbal conference August 23–25, 2019.
This page is a space where folks can share resources, thoughts, and questions in the comments below. The comments are moderated, so your message will not appear immediately, but I will approve it soon as long as it pertains to the topic, is helpful for community dialogue, and isn't racist/victim-blaming/otherwise problematic. {Sorry for the inconvenience, but it's become necessary due to spam and trolls} I will be adding resources created for and from this class in the future here on this page.
I am also co-teaching an intensive with Ayo Ngozi and Stephanie Morningstar: Intersections Between Herbalism, Health, and Justice: Moving from “Allyship” to “Accompliceship." I will post a link to the handout here after the conference.
The first resource to be posted here is this important video:
"Freaked out by police? Pissed about ICE? Outraged at gentrification? What should we do? People are overwhelmed, pissed, and scared right now. This video is about how mutual aid projects are a way to plug into helping people and mobilizing for change. Check out the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com for more inspiration and information about starting mutual aid projects where you live!"
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." ~ Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian visual artist, activist, and academic
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