Post election message from Elika

VISIONS wishes to congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the projected winners of the 2020 Presidential Election, with more people in the US than ever voting at this election than ever before. We also recognize the significance of Kamala Harris as VP Elect, who will become the first Black woman and the first Asian American woman to assume this important role, and already is an important role model for countless children and young people. The VISIONS community looks forward to being a part of the efforts to heal our country, and to bring all of us across the divide to connect to one another in a meaningful way.

Our country is in the process of allowing all voices to be heard and that is something to celebrate. The U.S. is also clearly in dire need for conciliation, as we face an accounting for centuries and generations of racism and oppression. 

Who is better equipped than VISIONS to bridge gaps, to bring people together in a shared dream for a more inclusive and equitable future and have courageous conversations, and to create the possibility of a better world, if not at least a better country? We know the work has to be done from the bottom-up, relationships need to be built, and connections need to be made, so that empathy can be developed. At the same time, we know that within the four levels (personal, interpersonal, institutional, cultural), we need to work on impacting from the top-down, as well. 

No matter for whom people may have voted, there is pain for some in the outcome - and as we continue doing the work we do, we will help individuals and communities heal, while also making cultural and institutional impacts. We have an opportunity to rethink and refine some of the work we do to meet the needs of our clients, and meet them where they are.

I encourage each of you to use your power, your intuition, and your creativity: find ways to make yourself heard in promoting our highest civic values of participation and community. Find ways to amplify the message of resolve, celebrating all that is going right while remaining vigilant during this contentious period. 

This is the time to turn up the support of each other. I look forward to us standing as a community in this historic moment, as we continue to do the work together on this long road ahead.  

So, let's all take time to celebrate, and let's also continue to do the amazing work you already do.