COVID19 has made more than evident the race-based inequities of this country, and the world. Continued adherence to the status quo or normal of pre-COVID19 times is active participation in the oppression of black and brown humans, the other creatures on this planet, and the Earth itself. If we don’t learn and change things this time, it’s going to be far more difficult next time.
JABALI
It’s been two months since coronavirus began spreading across the US and since then, our infection rate has soared. We have the highest case count in the world with over 1.1 million infections and yesterday recorded our highest daily death toll. Because of widespread racial inequity, those infections/deaths are hitting Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities unfairly hard. Yet some states are starting to reopen anyway which is causing many to sound the alarm. In Georgia (one of the states opening early), a study released Wednesday showed more than four fifth’s of the state’s hospitalized coronavirus patients were Black. Advocates and experts warn reopening states too early will continue to disproportionately harm/kill more Black and Brown people. You can help. Please share. Thank you.
We are love based
Cecilian and Jabali
We are margin walkers
We are spirit-based and space dust fed
We are creative with words and music and dance
We are for real.
Pictured: Cecilia is an eighth-grade student who will be graduating middle school in June and going to ninth grade. She loves to write novels as well as comic books. She tends to draw and sketch whenever she can even if it’s a small margin on her math homework. She plays D&D with her friends, but they rarely ever listen to her and burst into song every five seconds and sometimes it’s funny but not always. Jabali is an inclusion specialist utilizing Peacemaking Circle in schools (K-College), businesses, families, government, and community settings. He has trained in the lineage of Circle Keeping connected to Mark Wedge, Kay Pranis, and Barry Stuart for nearly a decade. His work is deeply informed by his belief and practice of sensible, love based leadership.
COVID-19 Safety Not Stigma is a portrait campaign to help combat increased racism against people of color during the pandemic, raise awareness about the disproportionate impacts of coronavirus on communities of color, and prioritize safety instead of stigma by the public.
Safety notes: These photos were taken at safe distance outside using a 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens. I wore a mask and sanitized my equipment immediately following. Please remember the CDC recommends at least 6-ft or more of distance from those outside your family cluster.
This projected is supported by 4Culture and the COVID-19 Community Response Alliance Anti-Hate Committee.