Wildflower Alliance in Revolt after Director Sera Davidow is Fired

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From Wildflower Alliance Press Release

On Wednesday August 20th Wildflower Alliance co-founder and Director, Sera Davidow, was fired by the Western Mass Training Consortium (WMTC). This action  is one of a series of decisions by WMTC to take control of Wildflower Alliance and overall shift away from a more values-based approach and toward a corporate framework and attitude.

These moves, which are continuing to happen in real time, existentially threaten our continued operations as a leading harm reduction peer support organization with a local, national, and global reach. The impacts will be felt directly and indirectly by thousands of people who receive support and connection through Wildflower Alliance spaces, groups, bridging, consults, and training.

4 COMMENTS

  1. It’s the part of the American collapse into a new form of corporate and military authoritarian fascistic state. You’d better admit now that we were always wrong to ignore the suffering of the poor, addicted and homeless, because the number of elderly people living on the streets of America is rising, as it is for all age groups, as services are shrinking, and for many millions of people it’s no longer possible to keep up with rent or mortgage and bills. This is social collapse into a nasty authoritarian period, and then either the authoritarian state is overthrown or else it along with the others will destroy the Earth. So seen we should see the assault on the wildflower alliance and all the other developments and non-developments in the field in light of this bigger picture.

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  3. It’s time to move on. There are massive cuts at SAMHSA, and Ohio has instituted a new category of paraprofessional “mental health worker” with some little certificate, and these new roles are obviously meant to do the same work as “peers”. There aren’t going to BE any more “peers” roles, and that is a reality. It was an intended outcome when they were created to break the movement for the liberaton of psychiatric victims. A few white people from rich zip codes got a lot of attention, a few freebies, and the opportunity to have a relatively decent work and life experience. Most of us languished in abject poverty while they demanded our admiration. There are plenty of the types of jobs I have had to do to survive available at this moment. Food service, retail, nurse aide. Come to think of it, these are the jobs most of the marginalized groups the Wildflower Alliance claims to champion have to take, so it’s hard to think of an argument why they aren’t good enough for its former leadership. If you work enough hours, they will pay your expenses. It’s really hard to live in a world where reams of documents in support of one privileged white woman go up within a couple days of her firing, given what is going on with hundreds of thousands of marginalized folks nationally (losing healthcare, rampant inflation) and internationally (one word, Gaza). This is what we are talking about? Really?

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  4. Here we are again. It’s Staff Survivors Network all over again!

    I’m so sorry for all this gaslighting b***shit that the Consortium is trying to pull. How can they be so ignorant not to recognize the diamond in their pocket that you folks are and what a feather in their cap it would be for them to midwife you into 501c3!

    It must be about the money. It always is.

    I just want you to know what a wonderful person and a great job you’ve been doing leading the national and international peer movement. You are such a brave pioneer and someone that we all look up to as a role model.

    You must be doing something incredibly right to get all this push back! Small consolation, I know.

    I’m really surprised at Crystal Appleby because I worked with her when I was at the DMH. She was our first liaison for technical assistance with the “consumer empowerment initiatives” then/”career initiatives” now.

    I have to wonder if this is somehow coming down the DMH bureaucracy because DMH is full of very conservative and frankly bigoted people.

    If I had saved the emails that I got in 2003 announcing to case manager is that equal marriage was now legal in Massachusetts I would have had a great lawsuit. But they were smart and offered me of severance package and I took the money and ran, signing a non-disclosure agreement that they assured me was standard operating procedure for everyone getting a voluntary layoff, as was my case.

    I don’t think we’ll ever be anything except mental patients and freaks to some of these people.

    Anyway, have you written to Maura Healey about this? I think she would like to know. She’s got a whole initiative through Elder Services educating PCAs from all kinds of countries and cultures that try to preach the Bible to poor soul lgbtqia+ senior citizens getting care in their home or in institutions.

    What about Rich Neal or Jim McGovern?

    Are you writing anything more for the press? Does Robert Whittaker know? I sent an email to him and Bob Fleischer, even though Fleischner is retired and surrendered his license he’s he’s big at NARPA as one of the founding fathers of the disability rights legal movement here in Mass.

    He’s at
    [email protected]

    Anyway, if there is anything I can possibly do please do not hesitate.

    Everybody is in our prayers!

    Cheryl Stevens

    Pronouns: Anything you want (except I, me and my, which I use for myself, ty 🙂
    “The entire construct of gender, like race, age and size, does not compute with me. I see people as souls”

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