Dear Friends,
As I have reflected on the events of this past days following the killing of George Floyd, I felt called to share from a more personal place that I don’t often discuss. In my own life I am guided by two important principles from my belief tradition:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
When my actions don’t reflect these principles I know I have fallen short and need to make a course correction. If I fail to acknowledge my shortcomings, then I won’t correct them and thus, will continue down a less healthy path that leads away from my (and others’) well-being. I think the same concept applies to all levels of human association including organizations, communities, cities and countries.
Difficult though this time in our history may be, the level of public grief, anger and discontent with entrenched racial inequity and disparity has reached such a tenor that we can no longer fail to acknowledge how wrong things have gotten. Yet at the same time, we are also being presented with the opportunity for course corrections that could lead to a community of health and well-being for us all. But, do we have the courage to make those corrections? The choice seems unequivocal—we can and we must if we want our communities to truly thrive!
MHB’s Vision Statement approved in 2015, states our aspiration to be, “… a strategic visionary leader investing in and strengthening an integrated system of social, behavioral and physical health services to build an equitable, thriving community.” Guided by this vision, MHB is committed to following that path by acknowledging the necessity of equity to a thriving community. We will examine our work in light of that principle and make the necessary corrections when we fall short.
We will start where we are…take action…listen…participate…take more action…face the truth honestly…take more action. It is possible, it can be done, when we work at it, together.
In a Spirit of Unity,
Jama Dodson
Executive Director