Hello beautiful community!
We at ABC hope you’ve been having a sweet start to your summer and want to wish you all a powerful pride month.
For those of you here that belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, we celebrate and honor you this month, and every single freaking day.
We also acknowledge that this Saturday, June 19, is Juneteenth — the day that marked the end of slavery in the US in 1865. Read more about how Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday yesterday!
So we also want to honor the black community, and those who have fought and are still fighting tirelessly for civil and free rights for both black and LGBTQIA+ people across the nation and throughout the world.
There is so much work to be done in creating more safety, equitable pay, more inclusive spaces, and equal opportunity for marginalized communities…the list goes on and on.
We here at Team ABC are committed to doing the deep inner work and doing our part in creating a more just world, especially for marginalized communities – and here are some ways that you can also get involved.
- Educate Yourself
Spend some time educating yourself on LGBTQIA+ and BLM social issues. Check out these two recommended reading lists HERE and HERE.
- Volunteer or Donate
Give back to the LGBTQIA+ community through volunteering your services or raising money for a charity/foundation such as the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. To find a great charity, try using Charity Navigator or check out these 2 charities you can support:
Center for Black Equity: an organization dedicated to improving economic, social, and health equity for Black LGBTQIA+ folks.
The Trevor Project: the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQIA+ folks under 25 years old.
- Support LGBTQIA+ art and culture
The LGBTQIA+ creative arts community is vibrant and thriving! Take time this month to visit or watch an LGBTQIA+ art gallery, play, dance/music performance, movie, or buy an album from an LGBTQIA+ artist.
There are so many additional actions that can be taken, but we have to start somewhere…
As we mark the Summer Solstice Sunday and celebrate the longest day of the year, keep reflecting that light by doing the work, keep challenging and uncovering your unconscious biases, and be willing to get uncomfortable.
Listen, learn, grow – and together we truly can make this world a better more love-filled place.
And remember friends… #loveislove
Ps, in case you’re unclear of the meaning of all the letters this is the LGBTQIA+ acronym uncovered: lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual/agender, plus all those who are part of the community but don’t identify within those categories, i.e. someone who identifies as gender-neutral or fluid.
Pps, If you are local to Petaluma and looking for a lovely way to start your weekend, please join my dear friend and client Karen Miles and I this evening for her first Flow into Friday Vinyasa class here at my outdoor retreat space. After the flow she’ll be featuring her hubby’s sustainable wine company Groove Wines, and it’s going to be a soulful and celebratory experience as our state reopens…woot woot! CLICK HERE to sign up <3
