On June 26, the IHP community was drawn into the aftermath of a horrific event that shook us to our core. The shooting deaths of Ramona Cooper and David Green, two Black individuals who gave so much of themselves to their communities, along with the killer’s racist and antisemitic writings, forced us to grapple with issues in a very personal and raw way.
This event comes at a time when we have endured 16 months of a global pandemic where we lost family, friends, and loved ones. During this time, many of us lost a piece of ourselves as we were forced to cut ourselves off from family, friends, and our social network. The Winthrop shooting comes at a time when we are struggling individually, collectively, and institutionally with issues of systemic racism and social justice as exemplified by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many other Black men and women. And it comes at a time when each of us has little reserve to deal with the anger, frustration, fear, and uncertainty of these senseless deaths as well the increase of hate crimes targeting a number of historically marginalized communities.
I have spent the past ten days listening to individuals and groups about their perceptions of this recent shared tragedy. There are things in our community we can control and can intentionally work at improving. As I have said many times, we have a responsibility to identify these areas where we need to make change and work toward that change. We have begun that journey and recognize that we have far to go.
Over the last 16 months, we have talked about the importance of self-care and resilience as we face this onslaught of challenges. Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. Resilience won’t keep you from feeling distress in the face of adversity, but it will help you identify areas over which you have control and can modify your behavior. It will help you grow in the face of difficult circumstances. We build resilience over time and through intentional behaviors.
As we try to process what happened in Winthrop a week and a half ago, it can feel as if we are in a state of perpetual recovery, managing a series of difficult events. This prolonged state of stress requires us to vigilantly manage our own self-care and assist others in their care as we are able. It requires us all to go a little easier on ourselves, be kind to others, and seek out activities that bring us joy whenever we can. It is my sincere hope you find some peace over the remainder of the summer.