Lumia Statement on Anti Semitism
The ICF code of ethics calls upon us as coaches to address systemic inequality - this is a barrier that we must work together to overcome.
In October of 2022, an artist, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West,) used his media presence and social influence to put forth antisemitic tropes about Jewish intimidation, power and control. (ADL) His statements are not only untrue but also created a harmful ripple effect that served to perpetuate myths about Jewish people and core stories associated with antisemitism that have been repeated throughout history.
In his statement Ye specifically latched on to the myth that Jewish people are secretly conspiring to amass global power. This myth has been repeated widely over time - and the violence and hate that Jewish folks have experienced can be directly linked to the spreading of misinformation (Anti Racism Daily.) If you want to learn about the history you can read about it here: ADL: Jews Have Too Much Power.
Why are we talking about this at Lumia Coaching?
Because members of our community have been impacted.
Folks who we value and love have said that they feel terrified of the rising tides of hate filled rhetoric towards the Jewish community.
This is not the first time that we have had to address violence directed at members of our community in the United States.
Our BIPOC community members continually suffer under the weight of white supremacy based language and violence that permeates our society. Our AAPI community members have recently endured grave suffering as waves of anti-Asian violence swept our nation. And now, here, yet again we are seeing an increase in hate based calls for anti-semetic discrimination and violence.
It is important to note that words and thoughts are the medium through which hate and bias take hold. As coaches we need to be aware that bias takes root when we hear things repeated more than once, even if they are untrue (ICF Career Coaching Community Practice. (Producer). (2020). Unconscious Cognitive Biases in Our Coaching by Carlos Davidovich [Video].)
As coaches, we need to be aware of this for three reasons:
- To uncover and reverse bias in our own minds
- To be vigilant if we hear bias repeated in the world
- To hold empathy for clients and community members who may be suffering
The ICF code of ethics tells us that systemic inequality is one of the barriers that we must overcome as a discipline and as a society if all people are to have the opportunity to live peacefully and reach their full potential. - Noelle Cordeaux, Lumia Coaching CEO
The ICF code of ethics holds coaches to the standard of not merely avoiding bad but pushing past avoidance to enact good in the world.
Lumia is proud to be an ICF accredited institution because of these values and because of this charge. It begins with each and every single one of us striving to educate ourselves about the factual nature of the world around us, reflect on our own internal bias so that we can overcome it, and speak up to help educate and inform others if we hear harmful and untrue rhetoric.
To our community members who have been impacted: we are sorry you are suffering. If you need support or just want to share your thoughts - please reach out to us at support(at)lumiacoaching.com.
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