Dear Friend of Mohonk Consultations,
For the last 40 years, Mohonk Consultations has sponsored programs to support the interrelationship of all life on Earth through dialogue. Our organization grew out of the Quaker values of the Smiley family, chief among them Equality and Peace. Caring for people and caring for Earth are central to our mission. Historically, Mohonk has been a place where “one can engage in a non-politicized dialogue with a view to finding solutions” (Noel Brown, UN Environment Programme, in remarks made at Mohonk Mountain House in 1994).
Our programs involve facilitating these conversations among people of differing backgrounds and viewpoints. Like countless organizations and individuals at this harrowing moment in our country’s history, the pain and promise of the current shift has brought a renewed urgency to our reflections about how we, as individuals and as an organization, are complicit in systemic racism. We feel the need to educate ourselves about how we can more effectively engage as antiracists in our work.
Unless and until white America is willing to collectively acknowledge our privilege, take responsibility for our past and the impact it has on the present, and commit to creating a future steeped in justice, the list of names that George Floyd and others have been added to will never end. We must use this moment to accelerate our nation’s long journey towards justice and a more perfect union.
In the spirit of Quakerism, the Smiley family, and the ideals of our founders, we at Mohonk Consultations wholeheartedly join in the antiracism struggle. We encourage everyone in our community to engage in difficult conversations with your families, your friends, and your communities, to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We thank you for being a part of our journey.
Warmly,
Board of Directors
Mohonk Consultations