My dear friend Linda has dedicated her life to the struggle for freedom since she was young. Unfortunately, this has made her a target for the hatred and bigotry of her colleagues and teachers, consciously or subconsciously. She has told me about the countless times where she is asked to discuss and analyze eloquently the most painful and intimate aspects of her life; teachers and students alike will ask her unprompted "so what do you think Linda?" Having to speak on knowledge and experience that no one else in the room has puts an immense amount of pressure on Linda to suppress the high emotional response she has to the material for the sake of educating her community. Although I have witnessed supportive comments and encouragements for Linda to keep fighting the good fight, that does not mitigate the pain and trauma she has been exposed to in these contexts.  

She always puts the community first, but she is the only one who deals with the emotional fallout that results from her educational leadership. Linda was in her hometown of Minneapolis/Saint Paul when the race riots began and then moved to Portland in August for the fall semester only to be met with tear gassing and wild fires. As Linda's roommate, I have personally witnessed the toll this year has taken on her body. She has been unable to eat or sleep regularly because of the intensity and ubiquity of her anxiety. I am literally watching Linda fall apart. As heartbreaking as this is, Linda is determined to get better so she can do more than survive.  So that is why I have turned to the community (that Linda does so much for) to aid in this process. 

The first step in Linda's healing has been acknowledging that she is capable of being overwhelmed by her work to the point of damaging her body. The next essential step is figuring out how she will get help to ease the constant pressure she experiences. Linda found a Black therapist who specializes in racial trauma, anxiety, and wholeness. If she is able to meet with this therapist on a regular basis, she will be able to conduct her work for the community without it taking the toll it has on her. However, this therapy is at least $150 per week as the therapist is out of network. She plans to be in therapy indefinitely and will have to exert a lot of energy getting these funds together each week. I think that we, as a community, should give back to Linda and make sure that money doesn't get in the way of her healing. 

Further, I think it's necessary to acknowledge that the Reed community has truly benefited from Linda's presence on campus and in the classroom, while individuals at Reed consistently treat her with racist disrespect. Reed does not deserve a person like Linda. I know Reedies possess a lot of heart, but I have come to understand how racism masquerades itself at Reed based on Linda's experiences. We need to pay reparations for this beautiful soul so that she can heal from the trauma that we, in part, have contributed to. 

I am setting the goal to $5,000 which would cover the cost of weekly therapy for approximately 2/3 of a year. Any contribution would be very helpful to provide Linda support for paying for therapy and to show her that the community she has supported and believes in so strongly also supports and believes in her!