Freeze, Fight or Flight: Equity in the Time of COVID19
In situations of stress, human behavior reactions can take on three different forms that usually look like: Freeze, Fight or Flight.
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Across the nation, we have accurately referred to our Black, Indigenous and communities of color as “resilient” because without this resiliency to constantly take on the fight, survival for many would be impossible. The privilege of flight is what cities like Richmond, Virginia have witnessed historically. In the 80’s and 90s there was the county migration where many moved out of the chocolate city of Richmond, VA. But now with so many moving back in, stressful dialogues of gentrification as well as an overwhelming number of non-profit initiatives have been triggered. So today, we all face the community stressor of COVID19, and many non-profits appear stuck in the freeze form when planning how their organization is including equity during a worldwide pandemic.
As a community consultant, I am taking note of the increased racial injustices happening across the country, our Commonwealth and within our neighborhoods. Many inequities were already on display prior to COVID, so how is the non-profit industry consciously pushing back on the habitual flight effect during this crisis? Each non-profit who noted equity into their vision must continually mandate inclusion, even during the time of crisis. So The Spark Mill wants to support organizations to work in solidarity to join the fight with communities they serve and check to ensure all organizations can unfreeze their equity lens to move forward with intention.
As organizations are making plans for fundraising, management and beyond, we must not forget Solidarity over Charity must be the alliship value for non-profits’ future planning.
How are your organizations having these conversations internally?
Are you bringing any external information in about the inequity impacts happening across the nation due to COVID?
Grasping the importance of inviting global narratives to your internal conversation can look like several avenues of awareness. Some harmful messaging I am monitoring as an grassroot organizer is the rise of racism and stigmatization, particularly reported from people of Asian descent. Many have brought to light how COVID will impact people very differently and not to mention how it will impact our democracy and political landscape this election season. These larger narratives are guaranteed to trickle down to our communities and persons we serve, so how are we preparing ourselves internally for these impacts?
Understanding that even before the crisis, many were still learning how to imbed racial justice and equity within their organizations, so we want to continue to guide that process.
On April 2nd at 2pm, The Spark Mill will host a webinar, an intimate session about identifying the values organizations want to work from during this unprecedented time as identified problems, solutions and actions to ensure your communities have a fighting chance for success after COVID19.
This will just be the first conversation that will lead to more invitations to hearing from leaders in the community and bring resources that teams identify as gaps for meaningful engagement. Between now and Monday we are soliciting questions through our eventbrite registration page.