The following post is a Four Wellness Co. email newsletter sent June 19, 2020. It’s published here for our entire community.

Hey there,

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. But while June 19th marks of the end of the horrendous chapter of legal slavery in the United States, it was in no way the end of racism.

I would like to think this next section doesn’t even need to be here, because we all know it so well and are so actively working to remedy it… but alas:

Yes, racism is a big f***ing deal

Racism, particularly towards the Black community, has been deeply and atrociously rooted in our country’s history for over 400 years—and it’s still a very real and current problem.

Police violence kills Black Americans at 3-4 times the rate of white Americans. That’s all over your news (or, should be).

But though police brutality towards people of color is a particularly visible and deplorable form of racism, there are countless other ways that quiet, institutionalized racism persists in all systems of our society: schools, housing, the judicial system, voting laws, access to employment and healthcare—the list goes on.

Institutional racism systematically distributes resources, power and opportunity in patterns that provide unfair advantage to white individuals and communities and unfair disadvantage to individuals and communities of color.

Here are some helpful explanations of how that works:

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (Emmanuel Acho)

How Can We Win (Kimberly Jones)

A Guide to White Privilege (@courtneyahndesign)

And, yes, racism is horrible no matter which group it targets—and there have been many in our country’s history—but none have experienced it to the degree of the Black community, and that is the conversation we are currently having and *need* to have.

Racism is a public health crisis

A growing list of cities, counties and states have recently declared racism a public health crisis. They are certainly not the first to note this, though it is (rightfully!) gaining more attention: Black Americans face drastic health inequities that, at their core, are due to pervasive systemic racism that influences all aspects of a person’s life and ultimately their health outcomes.

Black women are 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than white women.
Across all cancers, Black Americans have a 25% higher mortality rate than white Americans.
Black children are 6 times more likely to die from asthma than white children.
Black patients experience significantly longer ED wait times than white patients.
COVID-19 infections are 5 times higher in neighborhoods of color than white neighborhoods.
If Black and white Americans had the same mortality rate, nearly 100,000 fewer Black people would die each year.

Black. Lives. Matter. Yet essentially all systems in our country are failing Black Americans. And it’s literally killing people—by police, by white supremacists “protecting their neighborhood,” or by lack of access to economic opportunity and healthcare.

Anti-racism is our national imperative

Most people I know do not consider themselves racist by any stretch of the word. But they comfortably benefit from systems of institutional racism that unfairly distribute more resources and opportunity in white communities than communities of color. They have ingrained racial biases that they don’t attribute to racism because they have a Black friend or admire Black athletes.

That, my friends, is racism as well. It is unnoticed bias, or unchecked privilege. It’s support of a system, a pattern, an outcome—not necessarily a conscious decision.

Anti-racism is, and must be, a national priority for all Americans—particularly those who are least affected by it. Only when those who benefit from the unfair oppression of others stand up and say NO MORE OF THIS, will we have real, sustainable change.

A personal note

Black Lives Matter isn’t about me, or my perspective. But, in many ways, it’s about connecting white people with a national movement to end the institutionalized racism that unfairly benefits them while oppressing others. So I share my story in case it has meaning for someone beginning this journey (as many Americans now are):

I am white. I was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. Though I grew up in a progressive family and community (eco-friendly! gay pride!), Wisconsin had, and still has, some of the worst racial inequality in the country along various social and economic measures.

At the same time I was actively taught “don’t-be-racist” values by my family and teachers, we were all still living in systems that by their very design oppressed students and community members of color.

At age 23, I was an AmeriCorps volunteer hired by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to develop capacity-building programs at Title I schools. I became involved in the Achievement Gap Plan for the school district I attended K-12, ultimately advocating against the same educational policies I unknowingly benefited from as a student there.

It was at this age I first became formally aware of the concepts of white privilege and institutionalized racism. I was fortunate to be involved in diverse groups open to discussing this, and it was incredibly eye-opening.

I went through all the stages they say you go through when finally recognizing your own white identity: resistance/denial (no, I couldn’t possibly do that!), white guilt (OMG, I am part of the problem, I'm so terrible!), and white savior (I will fix this! I’m here!).

I spent my 20s working in communities of color—including at the Los Angeles Urban League and in schools in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of South Central LA; and at a “safety net” hospital in a primarily immigrant neighborhood.

Having worked in and among communities of color for a decade does not make me an expert in the issues of racism people in these communities experience daily. It does not make me perfect at solving those issues or tackling the systems that perpetuate them.

But it does give me a leg to stand on in saying: institutionalized racism is a very real, very serious, and very entrenched problem in our society. And the only way it is solved is by action from the very people who benefit from it.

Americans are increasingly embracing BLM

I've spoken about systemic racism to white people for almost a decade now, and along the way experienced a surprising amount of backlash. (White fragility is also very real!)

But I can feel a major shift right now, as you may too. More people are “getting it.” Awareness is reaching corners it hasn’t before. Recent polls show that a majority of American adults, across all racial/ethnic groups, support the Black Lives Matter movement.

I have been quiet since the news of George Floyd’s murder incited a much-needed national discussion around civil rights. Part of that was choosing not to add more “white noise” to a discussion that already had significant traction (including many newly-enraged white voices). And, part of that was wanting to reflect and assess where I can be of most value here. What can I do better?

As a white person, a white ally, and a business owner, I explicitly share my support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and for racial equity in general. But this is not my story to tell. It’s not my anger to express. And it’s certainly not my social media bandwagon to hitch a ride on.

Someone suggested recently that my responsibility is to be a “greeter” for other white (or non-Black) people joining this work. I’m by no means an expert on racism toward the Black community, I have obviously not personally experienced it myself—but I’ve been around it, have spent years discussing and working on it with people from many different backgrounds, and I’m willing to answer questions, if you have any. Feel free to respond to this email.

If you make it all the way to the bottom, I’m outlining Four Wellness Co.’s specific commitments to anti-racism. But first, here’s what we can all do in our homes and personal lives:

What you can do

Weeks of protests have already impacted meaningful change in companies, institutions and households across the country. But we are far from “done.” We all need to be informed and engaged to actively dismantle racism in America.

Here are some key places to start:

If you are not Black: educate, and keep educating yourself on the Black experience in America.

Read (here’s a list of books by Black authors, and books about racism in the U.S.), watch documentaries, TED Talks, IGTV. Netflix has a Black Lives Matter collection.

**Though this applies to anyone who is not Black, it particularly applies to people who are white, as we live in a white-normative culture and white people must work particularly consciously to get and stay educated on issues of racism and civil rights.

Silence is violence.

Witnessing acts of injustice and not attempting to stop them… is allowing them to continue. Though it can be uncomfortable, calling out acts of injustice or racism is an essential part of creating a culture that does not support racist ideology.

Social media is not the only platform for change.

Social media is a powerful platform for sharing values, concerns, and influencing social change. But it’s also not the only way to do that. Having discussions at home, at the dinner table, in the workplace, are all essential forms as well—and they don’t need to be caught on camera or shared in a Facebook post to be real and valuable contributions. We can and must take this work outside of social media and continue it in our families and community institutions.

Amplify (& engage with!) Black voices.

Black voices are notoriously marginalized in our society. Acknowledge and share them. Also engage with and get to know people who have a different background than you do!

Vote with your dollar.

Support Black-owned businesses in your community. Here’s a helpful article with some history and 5 ways to support Black-owned businesses wherever you live.

Donate.

There are a wide range of amazing organizations serving Black communities and causes. Here are 137 places to donate in support of Black Lives Matter and communities of color.

Vote!

Exercise your right to choose politicians and policies that support the rights of all citizens, especially our most vulnerable. Suppression of Black voters is a real concern, so it’s important for allies to be civically engaged in issues that may not affect them directly.

Understand the difference between equality and equity.

There’s a key distinction between equality (providing everyone the same treatment) and equity (allowing everyone the same outcome). Here’s a helpful visual:

What we’re doing

As a small business owner (Four Wellness Co. and Five Design Co.), it is my policy to actively promote anti-racist values and business practices. Here’s what I’m committed to doing:

Improve diversity and inclusion within our content, imagery, and partnerships.
Facilitate a workplace that seeks and welcomes employees of diverse backgrounds.
Donate a portion of business income each year to related causes. In 2020, 5% of business income will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Five Design Co. just launched a quarterly pro bono program, developing (or refreshing) one website each quarter for a company or organization with a social mission. Applications are now open!

This conversation is not over. We’ll continue with health and wellness content next week. But America, as a whole, can (and should!) do much better for our Black citizens. As a company dedicated to healthy and happy living, we will be making a concerted effort to be part of that.

FOUR WELLNESS TIP

Closely & honestly examine your own role in dismantling racism in America.What can you do better?

Racism Is a Public Health Issue