Statement of Community Intention and Action in support of Black Lives Matter, racial equity, and in solidarity with people of color:
Indralaya stands against racism and all forms of oppression. The theosophical values that guide us, and the unique spiritual traditions of Indralaya itself, compel us to acknowledge the ongoing violence against Black people as one example of systemic racism in our society.
It is not enough to simply state a clear, strong opposition to racism. We must re-examine how Indralaya may have perpetuated unconscious racial bias. We must renew our commitment to expressing our values in the decisions and actions we take as an organization and as a community. We must recommit to grounding all our actions in the work of reforming institutional racism and oppression wherever it is encountered.
Historically, we have expressed our values in our community approach to shared work and by creating an open and affirming space for all who visit Indralaya. We also do this in our food choices and other operations, in our financial investments, in diversity scholarship offerings, and in other management practices. Yet we can and must do more to work towards making the world a fair and just place for all people and all beings.
Compassion is key to a theosophical way of life, so we must recognize, understand, and speak out about systemic racism, injustice, and oppression and open wide our hearts to heal our community and the world. Like many individuals and organizations, we are looking deeply into the ways Indralaya participates in the world through the lens of institutional oppression, systemic racism, and injustice. We commit to additional policies and actions to seek out—and heal—racism in our organization and in our world:
- We will dedicate space and resources for more racial equity and social justice conversations at Camp.
- We will include one or more programs each year that focus specifically on ending racism and other social justice issues.
- We will provide retreat space for social justice and other activists whose values and work are in alignment with Indralaya’s mission.
- We will invite racial equity and other social justice leaders to participate in programs and enable this with scholarship funds.
- We will re-evaluate our financial investments through the lens of racial equity as well as social and environmental justice, if such a mechanism becomes available.
- We will continue to explore and prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in Indralaya’s hiring, retention, and fellowship programs.
We invite each of you to explore how your own personal values are expressed in regard to racial and economic justice issues. We support you in this, and it is our hope that Indralaya will continue to provide inspiration, sanctuary, and opportunities to explore our role in making the world a better place.
