#BlackLivesMatter

The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25th, 2020, and the protests and riots in support of #BlackLivesMatter that followed, have brought to the forefront conversations about whiteness, privilege, and the devaluing of Black lives in America that is long overdue. 

I do not want to add to the noise of performative allyship as a white person and a company run by white leadership. However, I want to make our stance clear and unequivocal and hold ourselves accountable to continue to learn, grow, and do better by the Black and other BIPOC folks in our lives and in this country. 

We are not “blank slates” as therapists. Practical Audacity is not a company that is politically neutral. We are on the side of #BlackLivesMatter, will not engage in distracting discussions about the ethics of looting in the middle of a revolution, and don’t want to talk about Amy Cooper’s dog. 

Here are some actions that Practical Audacity is currently taking:

  • We have engaged in a formal consultation process with a diversity and inclusion consultant within the last year and are in the process of implementing our strategic plan throughout this year. We will engage with a consultant again as soon as possible to review our plan.

  • We have committed to a quarterly financial contribution to YEPP for all of 2020. 

    • The mission of YEPP is to create a safe environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer youth experiencing homelessness to explore their history, investigate new ways to address their struggles and to celebrate their strengths through the process of developing a theatrical performance piece.

  • We have made an additional donation to Brave Space Alliance.

  • All of our white staff members are required to attend and participate in an Anti-Oppressive Practice Group monthly. Staff members of color are welcome to join if they’d like. 

  • The leadership of Practical Audacity made plans to attend a systemic racism training by CROAR in March, which was postponed due to COVID-19. We will attend as soon as the next live training is announced. 

  • We are in the process of creating a Clinical Fellowship position for a BIPOC clinician that would allow for lower sliding scale appointments. These spots will be reserved for BIPOC clients. 

  • We are in the process of creating a low-fee support group for BIPOC folks. 

We want to lift up voices of BIPOC activists and organizations. Here are a few that we follow and would encourage you to check out:

Here are a few resources for Black and other BIPOC folks during this time:

We are committed to continuing to learn how to live out our anti-racist values while acknowledging that I, and the other white folks on staff, are racist and have internalized our country’s racist values. We are working to unlearn this. We don’t want cookies for this. This post is not enough. And we promise to continue to work and learn and grow and take action as individuals, as therapists and coaches supporting Black and other BIPOC clients, and as a company. 

-Rae McDaniel, CEO of Practical Audacity

Rae McDaniel