Foster Care Training

“Decolonization”is a word that has entered social change discourse in recent years. We have seen it all over social media and in our movements, but what does it really mean? Why has this come up, how has it shifted social justice movements, and what does it mean for the work we do in our everyday lives? To understand this, we first must take a look at what colonization is: the United States and our society was formed by taking the land and resources from the people indigenous to the land, rupturing relationships to community, to people, to land, and to all living beings involved. In the process, we established ways of thinking and being that reinforce, perpetuate, and grow this system. Decolonization, then, is a process of honesty, repair, reimagining, and rebuilding that must begin in our minds and bodies as we unlearn and undo the legacies of colonialism. During this day-long session, we will examine settler colonialism and how the United States came to be through this process. Attendees will be provided with the language and historical knowledge to understand how this country was established by and for colonial capitalist wealth, and how policies enacted to protect the colonizers are the foundation for systems of oppression as we know and understand them today. Participants will begin to reflect on what this means for them and their experiences, and how each of our lives has been shaped by these ideals. We will also explore how we can work together in community to decolonize our thinking, behavior, and organizations, and communities.