Dear Community:
With the murder of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta three weeks ago, the brazen attack of a Filipino woman in Times Square a week ago Monday, and the escalating, but still under-reported incidence of hate crimes and violence perpetrated against many other Asian America and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) since the onset of the pandemic, we are reminded of the terrible intersectional legacy of white supremacy, racialized misogyny and xenophobia in this country. We hold the victims and survivors and their families and communities, and everyone else impacted by this senseless and heinous hatred and violence, in our hearts and minds. We recognize that, along with all Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States, Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders have always experienced violence and discrimination and will continue to be oppressed until white supremacy is completely dismantled in this country.
Acknowledging our current majority-white status as an organization, Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center has started to take a more proactive, deliberate and serious role in addressing racism, both within our organization and in the training of psychotherapists at large. Beginning with an examination of our own programs and policies, we have begun to identify both the influences and impacts of white supremacy culture in our operations, to develop our capacity for interracial dialogue, and to create a more accessible, affirming and explicitly anti-racist setting for both our current and future clients and clinicians. While in the early stages of our process, we hope to become as true an ally as possible to AAPI and BIPOC individuals and communities. Understanding the vigorous, ongoing, systemic effort that is required, we are committed to working internally and with others to create a world where everyone feels safe, respected, honored, uplifted and free of oppression, a world where racial justice is not just a dream, but a shared commitment and reality.
In genuine solidarity,