Dear Community,

We write to you now both with heavy hearts and some hope for our future, as we reflect on the long history of systemic racism in our country, and yet admire and applaud the protests happening now, in the wake of the latest round of murders of people of color. We grieve with you these recent losses, as well as so many in our past.

Gestalt Theory is a theory of inclusion and connection, which celebrates the meeting of each person with another, and honors the place “between.” Our goal is to meet each person as they are, and to fully embrace their uniqueness. We seek to meet each other as equals and not from a position of hierarchy; from a position of openness and curiosity, and not from a position of either preconceived or ignored difference.

From the vantage point of our theory, we reject the deeply embedded marginalization and dehumanization of our fellow human beings, and their deprivation of the basic human rights that many of us can take for granted. We are horrified at the recurrent murders of people of color in America, for which no one is held culpable. We are committed to developing a heightened awareness of personal and institutional racism in our teaching, in our work, and in the larger community.

In this spirit we are currently matching a portion of all donations generated from our community, and encourage you to email us if you have contributed to any efforts to support inclusion and social justice, such as Black Lives Matter, The George Floyd Memorial Fund, The Bail Project, Equal Citizens, the ACLU, or Campaign Zero.

We send our heartfelt sympathy to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Yvette Smith, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Miriam Carey, Tarika Wilson, Kimani Gray, Sean Bell, Amidou Diallo and so many others, who have unjustly and violently lost their loved ones.

In closing, we share this quote by Audre Lorde: "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences."

With Love and Best Wishes,
Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy Faculty
June 15, 2020