MEMBER FOCUS: Eboni Bugg
“Guilt is not a useful emotion. As a psychotherapist, I tell my clients that guilt is like trying to ride an exercise bicycle and expecting to travel. It doesn’t work. With all that’s occurring, it’s critical for us to move beyond guilt and enter into the next phase of internal reconciliation and deep listening.
”To my white brothers and sisters, I encourage you to do the work. Neutrality and silence aren’t options right now. It’s important to connect with how you are showing up in real life to what is posted on social media, allowing others to grieve and process.
”To folks of color, take time to rest, grieve, and take good care of yourselves. Especially against the backdrop of COVID, finding ritual and routine are key. We tend to take for granted the basics: getting a goodnight of sleep, moving our bodies, and eating three well-timed meals a day. In times of crisis, establishing routines can help stabilize mental health.
”Finally, I think that it’s important to try and find meaning in these times that extend into the future. One of the things we learned by administering the CERF program at Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is the vital nature of collaboration from citizens, businesses, and municipalities. We are all interconnected. And to achieve equity, you have to center the voices of the people who are most proximate to the problem you are trying to solve, embracing a ‘do with’ mentality rather than a ‘do for’ one. I think that’d constitute huge shifts and healing within our communities.”
—Eboni Bugg, Director of Programs of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation