Speaking Out

How are you doing?

This week has been tough for me. I feel the weight of all that is going on in the world. It’s a lot. I started having migraines this week, too, and I think it’s all connected because isn’t everything?

I struggled with what I would write in this post, so I did what I always do when I'm lost and things feel like too much. I went to the woods.

Once there, I asked, What wants to come through right now?  

And I got this...

The rhododendron are dying. 

I know. More bad news but hang on with me for a minute…

The rhododendron at Magic Tree Sanctuary and along the Blue Ridge Parkway have been dying off for the last few years. It’s not just one or two plants. Whole sections of forest have been wiped out. Bob had a conversation with an extension agent who said a pathogen called Phytophthora is responsible. You can read more about it here.

As far as we know, there’s not much we can do. Every time, Bob and I notice another rhododendron lost, it pains us deeply. They are one of many beings in this beautiful and diverse landscape and they are one of the things that make Magic Tree Sanctuary special. If we learn of something we can do to help the rhododendron you can bet, we’ll do it in a heartbeat. And truth, if we learned we were the cause of the rhododendrons’ suffering, we would change immediately.

I was reminded of the rhododendron because as we have seen in the news, there is another being who is suffering, a human being, more specifically Black Americans.

In full transparency, I hesitated to write on this topic, as I have a policy of no politics on Magic Tree Sanctuary’s platform. But, I came to this conclusion: Human rights isn’t politics.

I wouldn’t hesitate to speak about saving the rhododendron, turtles, honey bees, forests, or any other being in nature, so why would I hesitate to speak of my support for the rights of human beings on this platform? 

Especially now. Staying silent is part of the problem.

All life is sacred. Yes, all life matters but if we are going to say that and truly mean it, then we believe Black lives matter, too. To me, believing Black lives matter means supporting the movement to end racial injustice.

In the same way I examine my actions and ask how I can live my life without harming our planet, and the plant and animal beings on it, I, as a white woman, need to take an honest look at myself, discover where I may be a part of the problem, and take action, however imperfectly.

The first action I'm taking is writing this post. 

I realize I have a lot to learn, but I’m definitely listening, educating myself, and committed to doing better and being a better ally to the Black community. 

I’m sorry it has taken this long to write this. 

Thank you for bearing witness and I’m sending you...

Forest Love,

Julie