None of us are in this alone. Like the song says, I get by with help from my friends.
But something that gets left out of our narratives about community is how LONG we've been supporting each other this way. Support and empathy are part of our tradition as humans. Our ancestors leaned on these values during hard times that are imprinted, forever and unavoidably, on our DNA.
More than that, it's what the heart wants. To deny your neighbor a helping hand is to deny that same help to the hurt that lives inside you. It's not sustainable and so I don't want to live that way.
I'm proud to have produced a series of videos in support of the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program (JREP), working in collaboration with the wonderful Northwest Health Foundation.
Tayas Yawks in Klamath Falls is one of the organizations that has benefitted from this $10 million state-funded program. They offer peer support and job resources to Native Americans, and people struggling with addiction or returning to society from incarceration or treatment. They focus on family values, culture and the sense of community where the mindset is one of care and concern.
JREP supports culturally specific orgs and responsive services in communities most harmed and least helped by Oregon’s criminal legal system.
If we listen to our hearts and leave room for each other, we can't fail.
