PLATFORM
MISSION
The Middletown Racial Justice Coalition intends to interrupt and dismantle institutional and systemic racism through community-led action, healing, and organizing. By cultivating a coalition of Middletown community members, leaders, agitators, and decision makers, we work to re-imagine and spark transformative change in people, systems, and institutions in order to create racially equitable outcomes.
CORE VALUES
VISION
Using a lens that centers the lives, voices, and experiences of BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color), the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition strives to create a city where BIPOC can heal from racism in ways that are liberating and joyful.
LENS
The MRJC uses a lens that centers BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color) in our work. Centering BIPOC means shifting power, resources, control, and well-being/comfort to BIPOC.
Centering POC
We believe in centering the voices, experiences, knowledge, and complexity of the identities of BIPOC (voices, experiences, cultures, intellect, and multi-dimensionality of people of color).
Systems Change (Transformation)
We believe individuals and systems can change in radical ways toward racial equity and liberation. We recognize that racism, anti-blackness in particular, is deeply embedded within our systems and psyches and that transformative change is challenging and necessary.
Building Community
We recognize the importance of relationships, trust, and nourishing healthy people and community.
Bridging
We value our role as bridge builders working towards:
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Historical Bridge Building - learning from, honoring, and connecting our past experiences, events, and resistance to our current;
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Educational Bridge Building - we value each other as sources of knowledge; and the ways in which we are learning in community;
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Inter-Generational Bridge Building - recognizing the wisdom of our ancestors and elders, we value the importance of inter-generational storytelling, healing, and community building.
Joy
We recognize that laughter, beauty, and love are vital to the work and we value opportunities for healing and joy.
Truth
We value voicing and sharing viewpoints, authenticity, vulnerability, and the strength that comes from living in our truth.
Resourcefulness
As our landscapes and ideological environments change, we value the ability to stay up to date, pliable, and open-minded.
Intersectionality
We value all marginalized identities, and those of us who exist within multiple spheres of marginalized identities. We invite and welcome people to engage as their whole selves.
Process
We know that the humanistic approach to undoing racism in ourselves and our community can be rife with fear, mistakes, anger, patience, guilt, and growth (among other things), and we value the process for which individuals and community can achieve true liberation.
Healing
We recognize that healing from racism is an integral part of engaging in anti-racism work for BIPOC. We believe that burnout comes from continuously working from a place of trauma, pain and exhaustion and we will provide tools for healing from racism for BIPOC and allies.