Hi everyone,

I would like to propose that our Board issue a public statement against the racism and intolerance we see so much of in the media and politics of today. Your critical feedback is appreciated. If we don't achieve a quorum on this I can issue it myself as President of the Alliance, but I'd prefer to have the Board behind me on such an important issue.

A few things about this:

Although I do NOT want the Alliance to support any particular political agenda, I do believe we should have a public voice in matters that transcend politics, and racism is one of them. A public statement can show our relevance, vision, and passion. My hope is to set a precedent for this. So if you see another cultural issue that needs some illumination, feel free to send Bonnie and me a paragraph or two on what it is, how it reflects our values, how it demonstrates our relevance, and how it speaks to our sense of community and to opening up possibilities for inner and outer wholeness and liberation.

Please let me know what you think by Dec. 14th. Thank you!

Public Statement by the Administrative Board of the Depth Psychology Alliance to call for action against racism and xenophobia in American politics, media, and law enforcement procedures

Although implied in the very name of “United States,” the ideal of appreciating diverse lifestyles and points of view comes under escalating attack, here and abroad, by the political and digital amplification of intolerant voices. Media intended for public expression and edification have been hijacked by well-funded political machines invested in scapegoating to further their dominance.

Targets of opportunity include immigrants from Syria and other lands destabilized by decades of Western interference, Muslim citizens who no longer feel safe at home or in mosques where they peacefully gather for prayer, and African Americans assassinated in the streets by the very agents of law enforcement who should be keeping them safe. All three of these groups are routinely branded “terrorists,” directly or through innuendo, by US news agencies, talk show hosts, and radio personalities who spread fear and hatred. Donald Trump’s demand that Muslims be specially tagged, with their private information stored in a security database, is merely a more flamboyant example of the tide of vilification.

The Depth Psychology Alliance was founded to promote psychological practices and ideas that seek to include what has been exiled from the margins of consciousness and culture. Because we take these values seriously, and because our work shows that inner and outer diversity are both inseparable and required for psychological and social well-being, our Administrative Board unequivocally rejects the above and all similar examples of racism and xenophobia.

We call upon everyone to avoid supporting any political candidate, media organization, or financial institution that conducts or abets what in a healthy country would be unthinkable acts of white supremacy, domestic terror, and hate speech. Such harmful behavior divides not only the wholeness of our country, but our interior wholeness as well and is therefore contradictory to the principles of personal and cultural fairness, balance, and unity.

Furthermore, we issue this call to encourage everyone to denounce such behavior in person and online and to engage in sustained self-reflection to heal the psychological legacy of racism that still lives inside us. Only by taking decisive action imbued with critical self-inquiry and animated by appreciation for difference can we hope to reach the truly just and inclusive forms of community we deserve and most truly desire.