A Letter Regarding Recent Events

Below is the letter I wrote this week on behalf of the Governing Body to the members of my retreat community, Shalom Mountain, where I serve on the Board. I hope that the pain of recent weeks can be a catalyst for real change and for justice. May it be so…
— Maeba Jonas

Dear Shalom Community,

In recent weeks, the horrifying murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbrey have brought our country to a reckoning. We, the Board of Directors at Shalom Mountain, reject the systematic racism and white supremacy that allowed these deaths to take place. We recognize that there are many more names, and many more people whose names we may never know, who live in fear every day simply because they were born into black or brown bodies. These experiences have been compounded by the fact that the current COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people of color and has exposed the disparities in our culture at a new level. 

At Shalom, we have at our heart’s center the values laid out in the Principles and Skills of Loving. We espouse our truth that, “More than anything else, we want to love and be loved” and we hear the cry for love, for safety, and for justice from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) in our country. As anyone who has been on a Shalom Retreat can attest, the outward expression of anger, and all of our emotions, is not only valid but essential. Accessing out anger is how we access our power. For those who are angry: we see you, we stand with you, and we love you. 

At the same time, we acknowledge that Shalom Mountain has its own work to do in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. These conversations amongst the Retreat Leadership and the Board of Directors are not new AND they are newly awakened by the vivid urgency of these recent killings. If “Love is good will in action,” we recognize the need to speak up and speak out against what is immoral. 

We hope that you will feel welcome to share your thoughts, angers, worries, and fears with us at governingbody@shalommountain.com. It is our hope that Shalom Mountain continues to grow in its mission of “Calling people to be more conscious, loving and fully alive,” even as we call ourselves to do the same.

In Love and Good Will,

Your Governing Body