PASS THE MIC
Hello everyone,
As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, I find the racist attacks in Rochester and Laguna, and the incomprehensible attack on our children in Uvulde, to be yet another signal that not only is our mental health in crisis, but our public health and communities are under attack.
At a recent PFAnetwork Advisory Board meeting, members shared their deep fear, frustration, and empathy for all the victims of our violent society. The focus of the discussion quickly turned to "what can we do?" Barbara Kivowitz encouraged us to "reclaim the discussion on gun violence — not as a discussion of gun rights but as the public health crisis that it is". This is a discussion everyone has a voice in, and I hope that we will all use our collective and individual voices to reclaim the focus of the discussion. Please share with us how you are raising your voice; we need to learn from each other.
Speaking of raising voices, Denean Greene Rivers of our DEI Leadership Council recently raised the concept of actively increasing the diversity of voices in the rooms to which many of us have the privilege of being invited. Denean challenged us to Pass the Mic.
We thought this was a profound way to describe the opportunity PFAnetwork members have: to Pass the Mic to network members who aren't represented in the room. Sometimes that might mean passing on an opportunity that has come to you, and sometimes that might mean asking meeting organizers to extend your invitation to one or two others who bring a different perspective.
I can tell you I have been actively passing the mic for about a month now and it's been incredibly empowering to me as well as the people who are receiving the mic. Imagine the possibilities if each of us passed the mic and used the opportunity to support others to raise the PFAnetwork voice with the strength of diversity! I hope you will consider joining us for this important campaign, either as a passer or a receiver.
Do you have an opportunity to pass? Are you interested in receiving the mic to share your unique perspective? Let us know today!
Be well.
