We are living through a painful and traumatic time. The continued acts of racism, violence, and murder of African Americans are lethal and insidious challenges to the dignity and health of our communities. 

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others who were murdered because they were African American is an intolerable injustice. In this moment, we are all called to a deep level of individual and institutional reflection about how racism shows up in our lives and how we must change if we truly believe in equality and justice.

For us at Caminar, it means re-examining our practices such as cultural humility; hiring, developing and promoting staff; board demographics; agency leadership demographics; and even the very way we think about mental health and substance use treatment from a cultural and racial lens. To not act on racism at this point would be an unacceptable denial of suffering. The suffering of those who live daily with dehumanizing violence and violations of dignity that run counter to our mission of improving the well-being of our clients and communities. To not act now would be offering tacit support to those who minimize the harms of racism or rationalize them away.  I write this with deep humility to take responsibility for my white privilege and express my commitment to end this injustice.

We at Caminar are mindful of the distance we need to go, and we will continue to re-examine ourselves and our institutional practices.

We come to work every day focused on reducing suffering in our communities, and for the individuals and families we serve. Our Caminar team is committed to see and address the insidious suffering that racism creates and work toward a better community–and world. There can be no true mental health in the communities where racism endures. We will continue this conversation.

Thank you for your support of the clients we serve, and our community.

In humility and solidarity,

Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH
CEO, Caminar