Kathleen M. Dwyer :: Healing Into Wholeness

Welcome and Happy New Year!
May 2010 be filled with healing, good health and countless blessings for us all.

One of the Top Stories of this Past Decade:
Kathleen M. Dwyer

It is clear to me that one of the important and "potential for good" stories of this past decade should be the courage of survivors of sexual abuse by clergy (and those who supported them) who dared to publicly speak about the sexual abuse they experienced by their priest and/or church member. In so doing, the long time betrayal and cover-up by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was exposed, corroborated and proven, beyond any doubt, by the churches own documents. Seven years later, cases of sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church continue to be identified, most recently in Ireland. It is a hard truth for the masses to take in and yet, until they do, the opportunity given by the silence that has been shattered can not be fully realized. The church and the majority of people continue to role model denial, rationalization and/or blaming others (especially the survivors who told) for what happened. The church does this for the obvious…greed and protection of itself. However, the masses seem incapable, unwilling or terrified of accepting that a survivor’s truth does not negate their truth but neither does their truth negate a survivor’s…that the very same priest that sexually abused a survivor may well have appropriately loved and comforted them. But perhaps most importantly the masses ongoing refusal to accept these church documented truths leaves all the children yet to come, catholic or otherwise, in greater danger of being victimized by people they should be able to trust.

While we may never really know the extent of the abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church, the countless stories this past decade about clergy sexual abuse should help everyone who cares about our children come to understand if sexual abuse can happen in “holy institutions” it also can happen in all others, including the family. Only then, when the scope of this heinous crime and urgency in addressing it is accepted and realized, will the potential really exist for creating meaningful changes that results in better protection for all children, catholic or otherwise.

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Below is a video I made for my grandchildren about the election of Barack Obama. It is part of a larger video that I make each year. I wanted to give them a little bit of the historical background, fron their Nana's perspective. Hope you enjoy!

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Below I have posted two pieces I have written. The first piece is about my thoughts and feelings regarding the way that Oprah Winfrey has responded to the allegations of physical and sexual abuse at her beloved academy in South Africa. In one short month Oprah did (and is doing) what the Catholic Church hierarchy continues to fail to do. For me, a survivor of both incest and priest sexual, ritual and spiritual abuse, her response gave me hope. I hope you will take time to read it for it role models something we have not seen before and actually had me thinking for a quick second.. "wow, if only Oprah were the Pope".

The second piece is a reflection I wrote in November of 2004 after participating in "The National Day of Mourning" which is held by Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. For the past twenty years, I have spent my Thanksgivings when my health and the weather permit me, doing this. On this particular Day of Mourning, I thought it was time for me to write about it in order to pass it's meaning on to my children and grandchildren. I share it here with you now and hope you will take the time to read it and perhaps, on future Thanksgivings, pause to remember that just as the Catholic church must name and claim all of who it is, so too must America name and claim all of who it is as well. For we cannot move from a place we deny we are...it is only in the naming and claiming of our past that there can be any hope for change in our present and our future. (To read this reflection just scroll down to the end of the Oprah piece.)

Thank you,
Kathy

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Oprah for President (Opps...I mean Oprah for Pope)
Kathleen M. Dwyer
November 7, 2007

More than once the possibility of Oprah running for President has been suggested. Well today I am suggesting that the position best suited for Oprah and most needed by the Catholic Church (and anyone who thinks of the “church” as a “moral authority”) would be that of the Pope. Of course, there are a few obstacles. For example, she is black and she is a she! And the fact is, I don’t even know if she is Catholic, but other than that, if she wanted to do it, I think that the odds for the safety of our children and the children yet to come would be dramatically increased. One need only read the transcript from her press conference regarding the physical and sexual abuse that happened at her beloved academy in South Africa to know what I am talking about.

Unlike the Pope, Cardinals and Bishops, when Oprah heard that 15 girls at the school, out of concern for a classmate, had brought allegation of physical and sexual abuse at the academy, within the hour she was on the phone to trauma experts. In addition, the accused was removed from the campus and the authorities were contacted within two days whereby Oprah told them that her experience indicates that abusers usually don’t just abuse one child and therefore she decided to conduct an independent investigation. In speaking to the authorities she said that she

“… wasn't sure what had happened but there was a suspicion on the part of the girls of some type of sexual abuse. I told Andre Neethling that I wanted to conduct an independent investigation to determine what exactly had happened and that I would appreciate his advice and his guidance in this matter. And he told me that his department would work in cooperation with our independent investigation.”

She hired a team of experts from Chicago to conduct the investigation and sent them to the Academy. She arrived before the team and spoke with the girls telling them how sorry she was that this had happened and telling them that

“…although they had apparently been living in an atmosphere that repressed their voices, that this was a chance for them to break the silence and to take their voices back.”

She encouraged them to speak their truth with the investigators and went back a second time and spoke with their parents, guardians, and caretakers. The Head Mistress of the School, who was in the US with Oprah when the allegations were revealed, was told her contract would not be renewed this December and all House Parents were let go. Plans to improve hiring practices (they already did criminal background checks) are being developed to help weed out potential employees that may pose a threat to students. She also gave every student a cell phone with her personal phone number programmed into it.

In her opening comments at the Press Conference she applauded the 15 girls who came forward saying:

“So I would like to at this time recognize the courage and the leadership already demonstrated by those 15 students who came forward and reported the abusive dorm matron to the CEO of our academy. These 15 girls banded together and they acted because they felt that previously their voices had not been heard by other adults on campus. And now, thanks to what I now call the OWLAG 15, we are all here where a horrible situation has been uncovered and rooted out. They represent those 15 girls, the new generation of youth in South Africa, who fearlessly take back their voices to speak up about their concern for their fellow classmates. This is really what we're trying to teach. This is what leadership is all about. To use your voice, no matter what the personal consequences, so that abuse will end and good will prevail.”

One reporter at the press conference asked her the following question:

BRAM VERMEULEN (Radio Netherlands): Hi, Miss Winfrey, Bram Vermeulen, Radio Netherlands. How personal do you take all of this? Do you feel that the whole issue has damaged your reputation at all?

Oprah responded:

“Okay. Well, I take it very personally. As I said to the girls -- I said to the girls this summer before I knew of anything like this going on the campus because they --they say that they were always told that when I appeared on campus to put on happy faces and -- and to never complain to me. I take it very personal. I said to them, I am a mama bear when it comes to protecting my children. These girls are like my children. I -- that's not just rhetoric for me. It's not just a part-time pet occupation for me. I take their futures and the possibility for what their futures hold very seriously and so in that way I take it personally.

I don't feel that it has harmed my personal reputation because I have done nothing wrong. From the beginning, I have only done --done what I thought was best to protect the children. Unfortunately, I think I and other people at the academy spend a lot of time putting up walls to keep people out, which we felt were necessary, considering the statistics for rape of young women in that country. We spend a lot of time putting up technical systems that would keep people out and protect the girls. And as often is the case, child abuse, sexual abuse, happens right within the family. Right within the confines of people you know. Most children are abused by people who they know and trust. And so this was also the alleged case here.”

And when she was asked by Nadia Neophytou (702 Eyewitness News) if she felt that her academy has been targeted because it is so high profile she responded:

“Well, in this particular case I don't think that it was targeted. I think wherever there is abuse and wherever there are children there is always the possibility of something like this happening. Obviously you all know with-- the child abuse rate being what it is, the statistics being what they are in South Africa, I think 21,538 reported rapes, and out of that, 41 percent last year were children, the statistics for child abuse are off the charts. And this is not unusual to have a case where there is suspected child abuse. I think that because of the high profile of the school, obviously it would get a lot of attention. I'm happy for it to get the attention because it is one of my goals in life to put child abusers, whether they be in my home, whether they be in my workplace, or in this case, in the academy, to put them where they belong. And that is behind bars. So, no, I don't think that the attention regarding this is unjustified.”

So, hopefully you can see why I would suggest that Oprah become the new Pope. Just in case there is any doubt, let me briefly summarize the actions this woman has taken since the first allegation was made on October 6, 2007.

She apologized to all who had been abused and/or betrayed
She applauded those who told
She encouraged all to speak their truth and gave them ways to do so
She demonstrated accountability and took responsibility
She went to and worked with the authorities and removed accused perpetrators and those who had, covertly or overtly, colluded
She began (and continues) to implement meaningful changes
She didn’t blame victims
She didn’t demand silence from victims
She didn’t blame Gays
She didn’t blame “Catholic bashing” oops, I mean “celebrity bashing”
She didn’t blame celibacy

As a survivor of both incest and priest sexual, ritual and spiritual abuse, I for one am so appreciative and yes, even a little hopeful, for what Oprah Winfrey has role modeled for all to see. She has used her power, influence and money in a positive and constructive way…and just maybe…more will begin to follow her and less and less will follow the so called “moral authorities”.

Note: All quotes by Oprah were taken from her Press Conference. To read the entire Press Conference Transcript please go to http://www2.oprah.com/about/events/about_events_main.jhtml. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat to view it.

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Day of Mourning 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Kathleen M. Dwyer

It was an unusually mild, but rainy day this Thanksgiving. The kind of day that I enjoy getting wet and having my new hair growth blow in the wind. The lack of sun doesn’t make the day seem dreary because the rain seems to cleanse and make bright the grass, leaves and trees. The puddles become an invitation to the children (and at times, me) to jump in and make one last splash before the rains turn to snow and the puddles become ice, still enjoyed by the children but now, dangerous to those whose bodies have become older.

I parked my car on the main street in Plymouth Massachusetts and walked towards Cole’s Hill where Native Americans and their supporters have gathered for the last thirty-five years in what has become known as our National Day of Mourning. When I arrived there were already about 150 people gathered and the sound system for the day’s events was being tested and the security volunteers were being briefed. More and more people kept sprinkling in like the rain from the sky. A few were in traditional Indian clothing, some had a mix of Indian clothing and “western” clothing while still others wore no Indian dress, at least that I could see. Most of the white people seemed to be there by choice, yet it appeared that a few may have just accidentally bumped into the ceremony having come to visit the “place where it all began”. I wish I could have spoke with those people…to hear their reaction… to support the truths that had come from the hearts and mouths of the Indian speakers... about what has and is happening by the powers that be and, in their silence, all others of “the land of the free”.

As the events began, we were asked to form a circle around the Native American statute that stands so tall on top of Cole’s Hill. We were instructed that all cameras must be put away as one of the elders would begin the day with a prayer and that there would be plenty of time for pictures later. I remembered to turn off my cell phone. Sage was burned and an elder, with a feather that had been passed to him by his elders, spoke to the Great Spirit and Creator and asked for blessings for the day. Silence filled the circle as the elder prayed and in hindsight it seems to me that even the smallest child held still and received the short but beautiful prayer. We then returned to stand where the speeches would be delivered but only after an invitation to elders, the disabled and mothers with children was extended to come forward and receive what they needed to allow them to be more comfortable.

All the speeches that day included demands for America to get out of Iraq and bring our troops home, as they compared what America is now doing in Iraq to what those first settlers began to do when they arrived on the Indian land. The origin of the Day of Mourning was explained, having happened when Massachusetts, in planning the 350th anniversary of “America” celebration, invited an Indian Elder from Plymouth to speak at a breakfast celebration in Boston. A few days before that event, the organizers asked for a copy of his speech. After reading it, they told him he could not deliver it because this was a celebration of brotherhood and his remarks were too negative and might be inflammatory. They sent two speechwriters to Plymouth to help him re-write a more acceptable speech for the occasion, but they could not find words that could honestly come through his mouth and so, he was not allowed to speak that day. However, over two hundred Indians gathered the day of the breakfast at Cole’s Hill and listened as he delivered the speech to his people. Since that day, each Thanksgiving, the National Day of Mourning has taken place. A day that is one of truth-telling and myth-breaking.

For example, the first Thanksgiving wasn’t really a Thanksgiving but rather a festival that occurred around the world when the harvest was complete. Unfortunately, the real first Thanksgiving actually happened about thirteen years later when the Governor at the time declared a day of Thanksgiving because “their boys” had safely returned from the massacre of the Pequoid Indians.

And then there is “Plymouth Rock”. This is the rock that, as a child, I learned the Pilgrims first stepped on when they arrived on the land where the Indians lived. I remember the first time I saw it thinking what foot stepped on it first…how many feet must have slipped off into the cold waters before they made it to land…and then, wondered how they figured it out that this was the rock that was first touched by the “settlers”. Well, the rock with the deeply carved 1620 date was actually in the center of town and was just in the way. Someone years later had the “bright idea” to carve the date onto it and place it down by the water and claim it the first to be touched when the “Pilgrims” arrived. Spin even existed back then.

And let me not forget to mention one of the Indians, who had helped the “settlers” so much in the early years but shortly thereafter, was killed, and his wife and children sold into slavery. They put his head on a stick and displayed it in the center of town for twenty-five years to be seen by all and to serve to warn all Indians what could happen to them if they were not compliant.

The speeches went on and on breaking myths and telling the Indian experience. It was a very moving time for me as I leaned against a large tree that protected me from the wind that was blowing a little colder now. I remembered my Sioux Great Great Grandmother and wondered what it must have been like for her to marry a white man and come east. I am very proud of being part Sioux yet acknowledge that my lived experience has been of being a white person in a white culture that the Indians that day defined as the “culture of the vulture”. I thought how the “culture of the vulture” had eaten up so much of me through its power, greed and behavior that, for many years, surviving was only possible and living was something unknown and, because of that, I unknowingly, in my silence and disconnection, supported the dominant cultures system. While the Irish, French and English blood within me had always been acknowledged I mourned that it was only later in life that I was told there was Sioux blood within me as well. Yet, I am not sure that information would have made a difference because of my circumstances, survival techniques and the fact that somehow, since childhood, I had always known the Indians were not the “bad guys”.

When the speeches were completed we lined up behind a banner and began marching through Plymouth Center. Among other things we chanted “Free Leonard Pelletier”, “Bring our Troops Home” and “Justice Now” as we walked to the steady beat of the Indian drum. A few people were scattered along the route, most likely tourist, and watched as we walked and chanted. I looked into their faces as if trying to ask them through telepathy if they knew what we were doing…saying… supporting…protesting. Most just stared, some with frozen smiles and others with frozen smirks. I found it impossible to get any sense of what they were thinking, feeling, hearing or seeing. It didn’t matter though because I was there because it was the right thing for me to do and it was the place where I belonged, especially on this day. And I thought, if it made no difference in any life other than mine, I knew I would come back again and again because not to do so would be to become silent again and the price of silence is ultimately destruction and death.

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Hi again:

January 6, 2007 marked the 5th Anniversary of the publication of the first article of the Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles by the Boston Globe Spot Light Team about the crimes of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Please click on "Four Years of Protesting" at the top of the left hand column and watch a video I put together to show how survivors and those who supported and finally believed us responded. As you watch, be sure to remember that these articles and the coverage that has followed since then, were made possible because of those survivors who were able to speak their truth did so...and did so in the most public of ways and against demands of silence by the abusers, the church and the culture we all live in...and did so even though it wasn't the first time the silence had been broken...even though it wasn't the first time the accused were considered to be holy, honorable and honest people...even though it wasn't the first time the media had reported on such crimes of violence, conspiracy and betrayal...even though, every time before when a survivor publicly broke their silence it was, if reported on at all, quickly swept back into invisibility. They didn't have any reason to believe that this time it would be different....but, as fragile as it may be, this time it was different.

This time...something happened. I'm not sure what it was. Actually, I don't think it was just one thing but rather many things coming together at the right time and in the right place. In part, maybe it was because so many of us, at the same time, shattered the silence together...maybe it was that so many in the media, at the same time, really investigated and reported on the crimes...maybe it was that more than one or two people believed us and stood with us and declared NO MORE...making a commitment and promise to themselves, each other and the generations to come that they would no longer be silent. What ever the reasons, may more people decide in 2007 to work towards creating a truly safe and sacred world for all children and vulnerable people. May the voices of the past join with the voices of the present and loudly demand accountability and change.

Kathy

As a survivor of incest and priest ritual, sexual and spiritual abuse I have found that writing, speaking, drawing and sculpting are incredibly helpful for me and for my goal of healing into wholeness. Likewise helpful is the work of others and perhaps most important of all, the love, support and challenge I receive from the friends in my life who have always been able to see me as more than just a victim. Indeed, it was the support and encouragement I received from many of them that helped me begin to think about creating a site and making it become a reality. I am so grateful to and for each and everyone of them.

The navigation bar above will take you to other pages on my site. I hope the titles that will 'click" you to another page are clear about what you can expect to find there, but I do want you to know that, in addition to postings about incest and priest ritual, sexual and spiritual abuse, I will also be posting other writings that may not initially appear to be connected to sexual trauma. For me, they are... especially because I have come to see sexual abuse as abuse of power using sex as the weapon. Therefore, part of my healing is naming the countless forms of abuse of power I see, naming who benefits them and, if appropriate, changing the ways I may be unintentionally supporting them. This work is every bit as important for my healing into wholeness as is the naming of the abuse and oppression that was done to me.

For example, I have come to understand that what happened to me is about so much more than just me...that it is a part of a much larger picture where, however differently, individuals and groups of individuals are abused, traumatized and oppressed. Therefore, crucial to my healing process is learning about the interconnectedness of it all and speaking out against abuse when I see it, whether it be abuse done to an individual or abuse done to groups of individuals (i.e. racism, classism, heterosexism, etc.). Thus, one of the essays I have posted here I wrote shortly after Hurricane Katrina. It is called "Who Wants To Learn What" and was in response to the media and our governments rhetoric that kept saying that "we can learn much about race and class in this country from what happened during Hurricane Katrina". Although I don't specifically compare the two in the essay, it was obvious to me that the response and lack of response demonstrated by our government to the victims of Katrina was a mirror reflection of the response and lack of response demonstrated by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to the victims of priest sexual abuse. Both blame victims, scapegoat others and rationalize and minimize what happened and in so doing, support each other in their power, irresponsibility and in their maintaining the status quo.

Equally important and necessary to me is being mindful of how often throughout history the oppressed have risen up only to become the oppressors. I don't know that it has always been initially intentional, yet, over and over, it happens. As I continue to heal and claim back the power that was so violently taken from me, I must consciously and with conscience work not to use my power inappropriately and when I do, take responsibility for it and change.

So....thank you again for coming to my site and reading my opening page. I hope that you will come back soon and often. Whether or not you are a trauma survivor, and I believe there are many types of trauma to have survived, if you try to identify at a feeling level with what is here rather than compare at a circumstantial one, my hope is that all justice seeking people will benefit from what is written and displayed here.

The following speech was given at a demonstration in New Hampshire where survivors and supporters had once again organized to confront Bishops McCormack and Christian as well as the Church hierarchy in general.

Power and Addiction:
The Hypocrisy, Betrayal and Failure
of the Bishops in the Catholic Church
By: Kathleen M. Dwyer June 6, 2004

My name is Kathy Dwyer and I am one of the four coordinators of STTOP (Speak Truth To Power) along with Phil Cogswell, Ruth Moore and Richard Orareo. I am also a survivor of ritual, sexual and spiritual abuse done to me, in God’s name, by a priest, two members of the K of C and my father. I am also a survivor of incest, which was also done in God’s name, by my father. I grew up believing that church was family and family was church and that as long as I followed their rules I would not go to hell.

Today, like every other day, we are breaking silences, grounding ourselves in reality and demanding accountability, responsibility and change of a church with a hierarchy that claims to be the moral authority yet behaves immorally. Of a church whose hierarchy claims to be sorry for what has happened to the countless survivors of abusive priests and church members yet continues to pay lobbyists, not only to support their religious agenda but also to defeat changes in the Statute of Limitations that would benefit victims rather than perpetrators. And specifically, today we are here to demand the resignation of both McCormack and Christian. I hope that our presence and our voices will be heard by those in the pews, as well as those non-Catholics who think that what has happened in this church does not pertain to them and by those who do not believe at all and therefore may believe even more strongly that what has happened in this church is of no consequence to them.

They are all wrong! What has happened in this church and how it’s hierarchy and the majority of it’s religious and laity has responded to the crimes of sexual abuse does effect everyone and has achieved in setting very dangerous precedents…it has role modeled not taking responsibility by rationalizing, comparing and blaming other people, places and things for what they have done. And, most importantly and most sadly, it has role modeled that if you do it well enough and use the trust, privilege and respect that has been extended to you, not only can you get away with criminal behavior, but you will have countless people still supporting, trusting and following you, resulting in maintaining your control…and maintaining your power

McCormack, dressed in the priests collar and the bishops hat is but one example of many. Without the protection and deference afforded this powerful church and it’s priests and bishops, he would be in jail right now with Christian at his side. McCormack in particular has left reams of evidence documenting years of hypocrisy, betrayal and failure. He failed and betrayed those he was supposed to serve in his role as a Licensed Social Worker… a role which afforded him both knowledge of and resources to help abused children. He failed and betrayed those he was supposed to serve in his role as a priest…and he continues to fail and betray those he is supposed to serve in his role as bishop. The church hierarchy along with the state has sanctioned those failures without consequences. But make no mistake, there are consequences.There are consequences to those of us who survived and know first hand the difficult struggle to survive and the day-to-day work to live. There are consequences to all who were betrayed and struggle to make sense out of their faith, their church, the men they believed in and indeed, may have had positive experiences with until their consciousness was awoken and they came to accept that there are many different experiences of these men. And there are consequences to those yet to come for until the religious and the state are willing to hold and view the experiences of all, our children are not safe.

Talking to you here today is an honor. But the reality is we shouldn’t even have to be here. One explanation of why we still, after all that has been revealed, are here demonstrating today is that the church hierarchy is intoxicated on and addicted to their own ordained and nurtured power. They drink daily from their chalices of power and then, not unlike the alcoholic and drug addict, will do almost anything to protect their supply. As a woman who just celebrated her 20th anniversary of sobriety and who for 15 years was director of residential substance abuse treatment programs for women, I see a definite correlation between the symptoms of alcohol and drug addiction and the symptoms of the intoxicating and addictive effects power can have on some.

The major symptom, or the STAR of addiction is DENIAL. And, as you all know, most stars have strong and supportive casts whose role it is to make sure the star shines brightly. In the case of addiction, the supporting cast for the “star denial” is RATIONALIZATION, MINIMIZATION, COMPARISON AND BLAMING OTHER PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS for what the addict is responsible for.

Of course, actors need an audience. The audience for the alcoholic/addict is known as the ENABLER. Enablers have the very same symptoms as the addict. They deny, rationalize, compare and blame others for what the addict is responsible for. ENABLER’S have a “fantastic” reputation for supporting not only the STAR of addiction but also the entire cast.

So, in summary, we have the addicts, the enablers and the interveners. When applied to the abuse in the church what we see is that the church hierarchy and some of the priests, bishops and church members are the power addicts, intoxicated on power. They have abused and betrayed those they should have been nurturing and standing with. They then deny the abuse and betrayal and even with evidence to the contrary, they rationalize, minimize, compare and/or blame others for what they have done. For example, when the churches own documents were finally released in Boston, the church had to stop denying that abuse had happened. However, they immediately began to rationalize, minimize compare and blame others for what they are responsible for. They rationalized that they thought they were doing the right thing by moving the perpetrators to other parishes, they minimized that it was only a few, they compared the church with schools and the larger population and they blamed gays, the 60’s, and when all else failed, the pulled out the “Catholic Bashing” card. Of course, these are just a few of the ways they tried to keep returning everyone to the denial of their atrocities, less their “supply”…their power be decreased, or worse still, taken from them.

In McCormack’s case, he denied his role as a Social Worker by claiming his role as a priest …He rationalized his role as priest by claiming he answered to those above him …as Bishop, he minimized his cooperation with “authorities” to deny it kept him from being prosecuted, ultimately resulting in his maintaining his Bishop status and the status quo in general.

The ENABLERS of these Power Addicts are those who blindly support the church hierarchy and the priests and church members who clearly are responsible. Some deny that the abuse ever happened, they rationalize that they knew the perpetrator and that he was never like that with them…others who accept some abuse may have happened rationalize that most survivors are just after money. They minimize the extent of damage abuse can cause and often demand survivors “let it go and get over it”. They too, compare it with other institutions and likewise blame homosexuality, the 60’s or Catholic bashing for so much being made of it. These people remain in the pews, donating and entrusting their money to be used however the church hierarchy sees fit to do so in order to keep themselves and the public in the denial.

McCormack and Christian…you must resign now! Not just because it is the right thing to do for the larger community, but also because it will give the potential for your own healing. My hope is that there was a time in your life when you were idealistic…when you wanted to make a difference and were filled with a positive spiritual belief. Somewhere along the way, undoubtedly while still quite young, you started to drink your ordained power recklessly until you landed in a state of constant intoxication. It has cost so many so much but it is not too late to change…to start a new cycle. Rather than one of intoxication and abuse, start one of healing and recovery. One that begins with you but who knows where it may spread. Like Law, after you resign, you undoubtedly will be given a position at the Vatican. How wonderful would that be if you could spread healing and recovery there. If you could help the chalice be filled with love and compassion rather than abuse and grandiosity. Take responsibility for your behavior…only then is there any possibility of you becoming a positive instrument of change…only then, is there any possibility of you becoming what you claim to be…and only then, is there a possibility of honoring all the vows you actually took. And if none of what I said makes any sense resign anyhow…if you wait too long, all the spots in the Vatican may be filled.

WHO WANTS TO LEARN WHAT?
The lessons from Hurricane Katrina about Race and Class?
By: Kathleen M. Dwyer
September 29, 2005

Our Nation can learn much about race and class from Hurricane Katrina filled the media headlines and airways countless times since Katrina became one of the largest natural disasters in the United States recorded history. The enormous geographic area destroyed and/or leveled by Katrina is hard to comprehend, but the trauma of this storm along with the loss of lives, homes, roots and memories created a disconnection that is staggering and so very sad. Finding words that come close to describing the pain of so many is impossible for anyone other than those who experienced it and I imagine even for them, will be at the very least difficult, not just because of the trauma and destruction but also because Katrina has been and remains a unique experience. Unique not because this horrific storm came to our shores nor was it unique because of how the most powerful and richest country in the world failed to help its people. I find the uniqueness in the fact that probably 95% or our people had the opportunity to see, in mostly real time, just how horrific natural disasters can be and just how horrific the responses from those in charge has been. For some who know of the problems of racism and classism in America there was perhaps a momentary hope that finally the people would also see these problems as it was all of ours to bear witness to. But it seems that even all the pictures, videos and live reports has not to date been enough to awaken the consciousness and conscience of a nation divided and therefore, has added yet another layer of victimization onto the experience of so many survivors. An experience whereby only deeply internalized denial and hate, and racism and classism could enable individuals and groups of individuals to deny that in our country, and in many of the people who are her citizens, racism and classism still thrive. An experience that in spite of racism and classism, a true “miracle” happens each time people of color and poor people are able to break through the iron walls of race and class and reach the other side, the place all people in America are taught to aspire to, and, add to that miracle the fact that some who “make it” do not forget just how hard it was to get there, do not throw it in the face of others and say “if I did it you can” or most importantly, do not forget the reason they wanted to “arrive” in the first place was more than just personal or individual.

Some time has passed since Katrina landed, destroyed and left and I wonder what has happened with the headline that claimed because of Hurricane Katrina we can learn much about race and class. Well, some might blame Hurricane Rita and the fact as a Nation we were quickly put into crisis mode again. But it is important to note that the talk of “lessons to learn” was waning before Hurricane Rita was even mentioned. I began to stop seeing it in the newspapers or hearing it on the television or radio. Of course, this was great for those who never thought there was anything to learn but charged instead that people were just “playing the race card again”. It was great for those that never once thought race or class may be related to who was and who was not evacuated and who lost what and found shelter where. And it was great for those who have cars and/or know people with cars and who couldn’t even imagine that there are those who do not have cars, do not know others with cars and/or are unable to imagine that only so many people will fit into a car. I am sure they believed had they been in the shoes of the victims they would have just tied people on the roofs of cars and managed to transport 25 or 30 in a Toyota Echo. It should make us all wonder who was on the “Evacuation Committee” in New Orleans and various parishes throughout the region as well as who is on the “Evacuation Committee” where each of us live. Do you think they all drive to meetings?

So, weeks later I wonder not can we as a Nation learn much about race and class in America but rather will we. While I think the headline was poorly constructed it was, nonetheless instructive. But the first thing we need to learn (again) is that we are a nation of denial and that when denial is no longer effective, we become a nation of rationalization, minimization and victim blaming. One of the biggest displays of denial is in the very statement that says we can learn much about race and class from this hurricane. This statement has a way of denying the reality that we already have countless people who have incredible knowledge and expertise about race and class in our country. They are the experts and have more information than most people could ever allow themselves to take in, let alone learn. They are the painful faces you saw on your TV’s everyday for weeks; they are the people of color labeled “looters” while the white people were labeled “searching for food”, a systemically cruel but clever method of dividing those who are both, however differently, being oppressed and denied. They are the “professors of poverty” with “PhD’s” in race that the “Big Boys” need to seek out and humbly request their services and come with translators and pens and listen and learn. You see, the headline should not be a statement but rather should be a question that asks “Is our Nation willing to learn much about race and class?” followed by another question that says “If yes, who is willing to learn what?”

We have the experts. All that needs to happen is that the “Big Boys” solicit their help and compensate them justly and equally for their time and expertise. Translators for what the professors will teach should likewise be justly compensated because language may vary and to even hope for small successes it must be insured that language does not exclude but rather includes. Perhaps a national conference, sooner not later, with the lecturers being those with the knowledge I speak of and the participants being those who think they have the knowledge and define that knowledge as being anything but the least culturally valued knowledge, which is experiential. Having such a conference will not be easy to do nor will it be subconsciously or consciously wanted by many. The limited view of what is considered knowledge in our country is accepted by the masses and brings with it privilege and power and most people with privilege and power will not think that they have much to learn because they “already know it”. This is one of the painful ironies of privilege that I, a woman who grew up in a white, Irish catholic, poor working class family came to understand as I realized that even I had some privilege and power, most obviously, my white privilege. As I looked at my behaviors in this culture and how I subconsciously supported that which I consciously detested, I came to understand more and more about the benefits and dangers of privilege and power, and realized that it is a culturally supported state of mind that allows the person who has it to get there act together but, at the same time, skillfully tells the person they don’t have to because it already is. I also learned that most of us have privilege and power at one time or another, depending on the different arena’s we find ourselves in at any given moment. Unfortunately, more often than not, this once again becomes a cruel, but clever, systematic and systemic way to keep many of us who should be allies apart and accusing each other and thereby joining the ranks of the “rationalizers” as we try to justify our own inappropriate behaviors based on our perceived behaviors of others.

So, how are people who have an abundance of power and privilege to get to a place within themselves whereby they decide to use there power and privilege not to support who they are and how they behave but rather to discover all of who they are and then implement changes of things they may discover that they have subconsciously been supporting but consciously detested. Hopefully, the majority of people with power and privilege would want to go there, but I do not know that is true. Privilege and power are so valued in this country it is hard to imagine that many would be willing to really look at what they have and how they have been using it. Have you ever noticed how it is often those with power and privilege that are on one hand denying they have it by saying things such as “I am no different than you” or “I’m just like you are” and, on the hand, using their denied power to maintain the status quo. Some of course have gotten savvy to the fact that they should not say such things, but it amazes me how many still do. Privilege and power allows you so many choices including the choice to learn what you want to learn. How many would really want to learn about race and class in America and their possible role in perpetuating and nurturing the problems so clearly demonstrated by Hurricane Katrina? People with power and privilege are always telling poor people and people of color not only to learn, but what to learn. How many of those same people would be willing to learn what and how people of color and poor people would teach them about race and class? Because my primary place of residence is not denial I am quite sure that there are some people who would never, at least in this lifetime, think of exploring the destructive ways they may be using their power and privilege. It is as if it is beyond their ability to imagine that they are anything but right, a sense that seems to have become only deeper and stronger since “God” has proclaimed to be more and more on their side. Being a pacifist, it weighs heavy on my heart when the feeling that only a revolution will stop this downward spiral of destruction of a Nation that has such potential. It leaves me with less hope than I care to admit or live with that not very many people of power and privilege will really want to learn what so many already know and what this Nation so desperately needs to learn if we are to be a truly United States of America.