Dear Mediation and Restorative Services Supporters,
The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others have shocked and outraged people around the world. They are three names of hundreds, of thousands. Some known, some lost over the last 400 years. They are humans inside a history of systemic racism that enables discrimination and protects the violation of human rights. Systemic racism that silences the voices of so many.
The mission of MARS is to provide accessible, affordable mediation and restorative practices to help people in Anoka County and neighboring communities resolve their own conflicts and repair harm. What we know now is that harm has been done and in following our mission we at MARS will continue to stay engaged in healing the harm in our communities.
We are calling out to you to assist us in acting out our mission. We believe in the power of civil society to hold open the spaces for inclusive conversations that are the building blocks of new systems that value justice for everyone. But we must recognize that civil society is also shaped by the very institutional inequity we are seeking to redress.
One of the values that guide our work is Civility, for MARS this means that our work is based in respect and constructive communication, and our diverse board, staff and volunteers provide example-based leadership. We intend to be an example in our community and be willing to do the hard work to put an end to brutality, to racism, to inequities.
That means as members of a civil society organization, we must hold ourselves accountable.
This is what we are doing right now to address a piece of the crisis in our community.:
- Continue to investigate our own privilege so that we can embed racial equity into our work.
- Work within our community to communicate the availability of mediation and restorative services
- Active listening
- Through education and training amplify the messages of Black, Brown and Indigenous led community organizations.
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We know these actions are a small piece of what is needed. We are equally committed to engaging in this conversation with all of you, making change happen in the society around us, and finding ways to contribute and create more value.
We need a world that is just for all. That will take a tremendous amount of work at individual, organizational, and societal levels. We want to be a part of that change — leading where leadership may be absent and following where that will provide the greatest value.
Systemic racism, brutality, injustice, and violence to Black, Brown and Indigenous people has got to stop. We must be braver and more vigilant to stop this injustice.
Let us do this work together so that we can have the equitable communities to which we all aspire.
Sincerely,
Carol Markham-Cousins
Executive Director of Mediation and Restorative Services
