[DEOC] Fwd: An invitation to gather and process after recent violence in our communities

[Sophia Agtarap]

DEOC family--

Sharing the message we shared to our SBCTC staff this afternoon. If anyone finds it helpful to share, forward, or borrow any parts of, feel free to.

Be gentle with yourselves, and I hope you find moments of rest and respite in the coming days.

Onward,
Sophia


Sophia Kristina R. Agtarap (she/siya)

Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

________________________________
From: SBCTC EDI Team <edi at sbctc.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2023 2:59 PM
To: SBCTC All Staff <SBCTCAllStaff at sbctc.edu>
Subject: An invitation to gather and process after recent violence in our communities


SBCTC colleagues–



We have much to mourn and process. Today, video footage of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols–a 29-year-old Black man who died days after a traffic stop by police, is set to be released today by the city of Memphis, sometime after 7pm Eastern.



Last weekend, members of our communities in Monterey Park, California and Half Moon Bay, California were targets of gun violence. Monterey Park victims were celebrating Lunar new year at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, and victims of Half Moon Bay were working in the greenhouses of California Terra Garden and Concord Farms.


These conversations and critical analysis of systems of brutality that we see and experience cannot be devoid of actions that address structures and ideologies that have fostered isolation and othering. The impacts of violence are far reaching, and we carry these impacts with us as they become compounded with other traumas we experience individually and collectively.



The word that comes to mind to express this deep, recurring sorrow is lament. There is an inclination to feel helplessness or hopelessness, and sometimes that is what’s necessary. But lament, when experienced in community, allows us to gather what is possible and what is necessary to do that work that brings about a more just and equitable world.



With the support of our executive director, Paul Francis, we extend our full support to you, our SBCTC colleagues. In the coming days, please watch for a zoom invitation to collectively process the events of the last few weeks. It is an optional gathering, knowing some in the organization may find it helpful and even necessary.



The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has shared guidance and resources in the attached PDF, as suggestions to care for yourself and others in the aftermath of community violence.



The services of EAP are confidential and free, and they can be reached at 877-313-4455. Please keep the attached information readily available, as one of many ways to support yourself or one another.


Be gentle with yourself and with one another.

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