solidarity

Part 3: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Acting in Solidarity as a Way Forward

Part 3: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Acting in Solidarity as a Way Forward

Cross-cutting and intersecting identities add richness to our suicide prevention movement; however, in order to accomplish solidarity, we need to be willing to create safe spaces for listening and empathy. As part of this process we must acknowledge that identity fluidity is also expected as people move through various life experiences. Across both lived experiences and academic ways of understanding suicide, we have an opportunity to learn by removing judgment and blame, and seeking compassion — especially when we have been on the opposite sides of fear.

Five Steps in Building Solidarity in the Suicide Prevention Movement…

Part 2: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Healing from Communal Wounding

Part 2: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- Healing from Communal Wounding

As the suicide prevention movement has evolved, some of our groups have experienced communal wounding. Communal wounding occurs when generations of the complex systemic oppression and culture level prejudice have been ignored in favor of surface-level activities (van der Watt, 2019). Because we were not sufficiently providing opportunities for all members of the movement to acknowledge these wounds and because many of us did not look into the mirror of our own lived experience, we continued to inflict new sources of harm.

Part 1: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- What Do We Mean by Solidarity and Why Does it Matter to Suicide Prevention?

Part 1: Standing in Solidarity for Suicide Prevention -- What Do We Mean by Solidarity and Why Does it Matter to Suicide Prevention?

Solidarity noun sol·i·dar·i·ty | \ ˌsä-lə-ˈder-ə-tē , -ˈda-rə- \. Unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards
-Merriam-Webster

“Any movement that hopes to sustain commitment over a period of time must make the construction of collective identity one of its most central tasks.” (Gamson, 1991, p. 27)

“Solidarity…holds great potential for understanding the transformative power…for social justice.” (Rogers & Calle Diaz, 2018, p.64)