Imagining Futures in a Time of Collective Trauma

JUN 18, 2020

The year 2020 will be remembered as a time of unprecedented upheaval. The global pandemic has forced us to confront new norms, while the racial injustices embedded in our societies have been laid bare... again. The twin crises of COVID-19 and racial reckoning have shaken the foundations of our world, reminding us of the collective and historical trauma we are experiencing in these times.

It is more crucial than ever for leaders to cultivate empathy, resilience, and a deep commitment to justice within their organizations.

As the world witnesses the Black diaspora rise in demand for the unalienable right to life, it became clear that the work of dismantling systemic oppression is far from over. For leaders in organizations, this moment is a call to action—a reminder that the responsibility to foster equity, justice, and well-being within our spheres of influence is not optional but essential for REAL liberation.

The challenges of our era are immense, yet they also offer us a unique opportunity. Our descendants depend on us to meet these challenges with courage, wisdom, and a willingness to act. While some of our ancestors have set the stage for the intersecting crises we experience today, some of them, too, have given us the tools and the legacy of resistance needed to navigate these turbulent times.

As organizational and community leaders, it is imperative to harness the momentum of these times to recreate environments that foster real and meaningful culture and policy change, not just performative acts of goodness.

In my work as a coach for creative change agents, racial justice organizer, and scholar in community liberation psychology, I have engaged deeply with the collective and intergenerational trauma that underpins our current crises. My positionality—a queer, college-educated white person from a wealthy yet fragmented suburban family—affords me a particular lens through which I experience both privilege and marginalization. These experiences shape my approach to leadership and community work, offering me a perspective that is vital to the creation of a more just and equitable world.

Leadership today requires more than just navigating the complexities of our roles; it demands an awareness of how our social locations influence our impact. It calls for an acknowledgment of the privileges we hold and the traumas we carry. As leaders, we must recognize that our unique challenges and gifts are not just personal—they are integral to the collective work of transformation.

You, too, have a unique set of experiences, traumas, and strengths that have brought you to this moment. As a leader, your responsibility is to harness these gifts and step into your purpose with intention and resolve. This is not just about surviving the crises of our time; it is about actively co-creating a future that is more compassionate, equitable, and inclusive.

This is why you are here, reading this. You are part of a community of visionary leaders and creative change agents who are committed to walking this path together. On this journey to foster societal healing and create lasting change, we must support one another, building relationships that heal, connections that affirm, and understandings that bridge our differences.

As my teacher Lee Mun Wah likes to say, we are walking each other home.

The future is ours to imagine and co-create. Despite the challenges we face, I hold hope that we can build something better—something rooted in compassion, justice, and love. As leaders, it is our privilege and our duty to lead this charge, guiding our organizations and our communities toward a brighter, more equitable future.

Incorporating these elements into your leadership approach will not only help you navigate the current crises but also position you as an agile and creative-thinking leader who is attuned to the needs of both your organization and the broader world. By fostering resilience, equity, and a commitment to social justice within your organization, you will not only weather the storms of 2020 but also emerge stronger, with a clearer vision of the future you wish to create.

So let us take the time to create relationships that heal, connections that support and affirm, and understandings that reach bravely across difference and our fears of the unknown.

The future is waiting for us there, and I still hold an ember of hope that we can imagine and co-create something more compassionate and loving than what we were left.