Messages To Trust when Hate is the Headliner

Like so many of you, we at TWI are wounded by the events of Charlottesville that took place in August. Our values for equity, humility, critical thinking, dialogue, and human decency are being courageously demonstrated by so many, in so many places like Charlottesville on behalf of the criminalized and vulnerable.  Let us continue to forge a future that eclipses the need to put bodies and lives in the path of state sanctioned and vigilante violence fueled by racism, xenophobia, hatred, and fear.

Unsurprisingly, yet disappointingly, the (un)coded messages of support from POTUS for white nationalist aggression contribute to declining trust in this administration.  It is clear that public trust in state, media, and institutions continues to erode.  It brings up for us the ongoing question of how to repair trust when the promises of American democracy have been broken again and again.  How might we become trustworthy, whatever our specific roles are?  How can we demonstrate trustworthiness as comrades, public servants, neighbors, funders?  As we percolate on these questions, we have many guides and partners we turn to.

Here are a few pieces emerging out of the weekend that we found provocative, healing, and inspiring:

Hate and hurt in America: On Charlottesville by john powell

Numbness, sorrow, rage, then solutions by Thousand Currents

What BLM organizers are doing to fight white supremacy at every level by Shanelle Matthews

Charlottesville and a time for gracious anger by Vu Le

How influential companies are taking a stance by Nikita T. Mitchell

On Charlottesville by J. Bob Alotta

If you feel so moved, we’d love to read what you are reading on how to build trust in a time of distrust, please share in the comments section.