Solidarity Statement

We at Open Floor International grieve and condemn the murder and state sanctioned, institutionalized violence and injustice against all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to support and amplify the voices of BIack, Indigenous, and People of Color.

We are committing to not just standing up but to stepping up. We recognize that we have deeper personal and professional work to do in order to recognize our own unconscious, ancestral, embodied racism. To stand as teachers of any kind requires that we are profoundly aware of the gross and subtle influences of racism and white privilege.

We ask ourselves these questions:

• How can we best use our platform to amplify the voices of wisdom teachers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color?
• What’s in our Shadow, as individuals and as an organization? What unconscious conditioning must now be brought into awareness?
• How do we actively address social justice as an organization and be a force of genuine service in the world?

As a worldwide community that is overwhelmingly privileged, we recognize the possibility to influence others who are privileged as well. We understand that changing history requires devoted work over a long period of making new history.

Here are our first steps, but by no means our last:

• We are asking every white Open Floor teacher, Board Member and employee to embark on a sustained journey through the myriad unlearning racism programs being offered live and online.
• We are adding anti-racism work as core material in all our Teacher Training curriculum.
• We have created a Facebook group to discuss Anti-Oppression Leadership in Conscious Dance.
• Open Floor International is run by 49 volunteers who work in circles of equivalence to manage each area of our organization. We will initiate a Social Justice circle to create and support our path forward in a sustained way.
• As an international non-profit, we’ll increase our efforts to raise scholarship funding for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color students to study and/or be trained in embodiment education, so they can offer it to diverse and local communities worldwide.

We know many folks are asking the question: what can I do?

Linked here is a comprehensive Racial Justice Resource List from Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. There is something we can do every day, starting today. Find a place to start, then follow the breadcrumbs of your own heart.

We encourage our Open Floor community of teachers, dancers and colleagues to advocate through action, both inner and outer. We stand with you on this journey of turning toward our necessary learning and unlearning. We stand with you in support of the lives and humanity of all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Updated June 2020