Tagged With "structural racism"
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Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Race-based Traumatic Stress.
This collection of reports, shared with edited highlights, is posted in hopes of raising awareness of the consequences of race-based traumatic stress and ways to help heal and prevent race-based trauma. 1. Crossing the Racial Rubicon Noted mental health practitioner, Dr. Alan Siskind says: “It is critically important to recognize race-based traumatic stress and not ignore its psychological and emotional impact even though there are numerous pressures to deny or under-estimate the impact of...
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12 Myths of the Science of ACEs
The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand “aha” moment, the unexpected doorway into a blazing new...
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2 New Communities Join ACEs Connection: March 2020
Please welcome these two new communities to ACEs Connection . ACEs & African Americans ACEs Connection at Boston University School of Public Health (MA) ACEs & African Americans This group is focused on the descendants of Africans dispersed throughout the Americas during the Transatlantic Slave Trades. Topics include adverse childhood experiences, historical trauma, intergenerational transmission of trauma, African American parenting practices, health disparities, the effects of...
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"A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series-Health Equity
In the seventh installation of the " A Better Normal " community discussion series, ACEs Connection facilitated a conversation focused on health inequity as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic . This discussion featured myself and ACEs Connection member Joshunda Sanders and highlighted the role of racism, historical trauma and poverty when it comes to the impact of this pandemic on African Americans and other vulnerable populations.
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ACEs & African Americans Community on ACEs Connection
ACEs Connection envisions a resilient world where ALL people thrive. We are an anti-racist organization committed to the pursuit of social justice. In our work to promote resilience and prevent and mitigate ACEs, we intentionally embrace and uplift people who have historically not had a seat at the table. ACEs Connection celebrates the voices and tells the stories of people who have been barred from decision-making and who have shouldered the burden of systemic and economic oppression as the...
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Another "A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series-Health Equity
In the thirteenth installation of the " A Better Normal " community discussion series, ACEs Connection facilitated a conversation focused on health inequity as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic . This discussion featured myself and ACEs Connection member Joshunda Sanders and highlighted the role of racism, historical trauma and poverty when it comes to the impact of this pandemic on African Americans and other vulnerable populations. In this session our guests were Sarah Bounse with...
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California's 1st Surgeon General Spotlights Health Risks Of Childhood Adversity (npr.org)
In an interview last year, after her book , The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, was published, Burke Harris told NPR's Cory Turner, "We all need to be part of the solution. If we each take ... our little piece, it's nuts how far we'll be able to go, together as a society, in terms of solving this problem. California Gov. Gavin Newsom took Burke Harris up on her challenge, appointing her the first-ever surgeon general of California. Newsom cites the toxic...
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Eradicating the roots of childhood trauma [indianapolisrecorder.com]
On the east side of Indianapolis in late March, a barrage of bullets sprayed through a home, killing 1-year-old Malaysia Robson as she slept on the couch. It was a drive-by shooting in the middle of the night by two men in their late 20s. It’s the kind of violence that can shake a community, leaving its distraught members wondering how much more they can take. Community violence — and other forms of trauma — are especially harmful for children. They’re called adverse childhood experiences...
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EVENT: Cost of Darkness Documentary Preview on 5/30
Message from Sandy Holman, Director of The Culture C.O-.O.P, www.cultureco-op.com : Please join The Culture C.O-.O.P. virtually, this Saturday, May 30th, from 2-4pm to preview our Cost Of Darkness Documentary done in collaboration with UC Davis Students, nationally and internationally renowned experts, courageous community activists, families, and communities nefariously impacted by entrenched, “dark skin,” racism, supremacy ideology, systemic oppression, injustice and insidious inequity,...
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How I Can Offer Reparations in Direct Proportion to My White Privilege (yesmagazine.org)
I had a fascinating breakfast conversation with my 11-year-old daughter a few days back. The nigh before I had a fitful dream - one that was short on plot and imagery, but chock-full of emotion. In this case, the feeling was of a deep, immovable sorrow. When I awoke, it didn't take long to recognize that the article I'd been working on - this article - was definitely working on me, too. During breakfast I knew my daughter could tell I wasn’t on solid ground. She’s a sensitive soul, and I...
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A Better Normal, Tuesday, June 9th at Noon PDT: Racial Trauma & How to be Anti-Racist
Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. Protests and riots across the country--and even worldwide--are making it impossible to ignore the racial trauma of police brutality and historical trauma embedded within our society. Many of us are grappling with complex feelings of helplessness and righteous anger. In response to this pandemic of racism in America, "A Better Normal" will hold space...
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Black Immigrant Pastors in US Share Similar Experiences of Racism (VOANEWS)
By Elizabeth Lee, June 10, 2020, voanews.com LOS ANGELES - Steve Adarkwa grew up in Ghana. What he saw on television shaped his image of America. “Beautiful streets (and) beautiful people. I'd never seen racism before because I was coming from a country where everything was African,” Adarkwa remembered. Living in the United States as a black man shattered the glamorized image portrayed on TV. “I actually saw the intensity of racism or racial divide in this country,” said Adarkwa. He said he...
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Black Alabama lawmakers share negative encounters with law enforcement (WHNT.com)
By Reshad Hudson, June 8, 2020, WHNT. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — As protest play out across the state in hopes to end racial injustice, some Alabama lawmakers are sharing their own stories of injustice. State Representatives Jeremy Gray, Chris England and Anthony Daniels say their stories are like so many other Alabamians. “Just being a normal citizen, and then you have these encounters, which will whether you call it racism, whether you call it with law enforcement,” said Rep. Gray.
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'Just Make It Home': The Unwritten Rules Blacks Learn To Navigate Racism In America [khn.org]
By Cara Anthony, Kaiser Health News, June 18, 2020 Speak in short sentences. Be clear. Direct but not rude. Stay calm, even if you’re shaking inside. Never put your hands in your pockets. Make sure people can always see your hands. Try not to hunch your shoulders. Listen to their directions. Darnell Hill, a pastor and a mental health caseworker, offers black teenagers these emotional and physical coping strategies every time a black person is fatally shot by a police officer. That’s when...
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PNC Commits More Than $1B to End Systemic Racism, Support Economic Empowerment (abf journal)
June 19, 2020, Industry News. PNC committed more than $1 billion to help end systemic racism and support economic empowerment of African Americans and low- and moderate-income communities. “We are living in one of the most important civil rights movements of our time. Each of us has a role to play in combatting racism and discrimination, and PNC is committed to driving real change in areas in which we can make the greatest impact,” William S. Demchak, chairman, president and CEO of PNC,...
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Teen Protester's Appeal To The World: 'Just See Me As A Human First' (WBUR)
By Jacob Fenston, June 19, 2020, WBUR. Michael Blackson, a 17-year-old high school senior from Southeast D.C., was among the thousands of people protesting racism and police brutality in front of the White House recently. In the shaky video footage Michael took with his phone, you can see rows of federal police in riot gear, just on the other side of the black chain link fence. Beyond the police: Lafayette Square, and the White House. All along the fence protestors are yelling expletives at...
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A Better Normal Tuesday, June 30th at Noon PDT: Reinterpreting American Identity, a Community Discussion
"I think that all of us, regardless of our racial or ethnic background, feel relieved that we no longer have to deal with the racism and the sexism associated with the system of slavery. But we treat the history of enslavement like we treat the genocidal colonization of indigenous people in North America, as if it was not that important, or worse, as if it never happened." —Angela Davis, "The Meaning of Freedom" Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our...
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Academic Medicine and Black Lives Matter Time for Deep Listening (NEJM)
By Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc 1 , JAMA. Published June 30, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12532 E choes of “medicine as the noble profession” continue to resonate, now 35 years since my legendary Chair of Medicine imbued me with this guiding ethos. Nobility in medicine is not obsolete; the selflessness, courage, self-sacrifice, and altruism on gallant display in the response to COVID-19 reassures that at its core, this ethic of egalitarian service remains intact and deeply established in the DNA...
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Does Your Organization Unconsciously Operate with a White Supremacy Culture? 4 White Supremacy Culture Scenarios
As we endure the pain of lost loved ones, manage the anxiety of financial insecurity and potentially fret over becoming ill, it is a brilliant time for change in our country and around the world. There is a special kind of racist exclusion in America. When I took my young son to live in India, initially, he struggled everyday on the bus to school. There was a lot of hazing and bullying from older students. I remember him begging me to please take him to school in a rickshaw so that he didn’t...
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Reclaiming African Herbalism as an Act of Resistance (yesmagazine.org)
I was fairly new to the study of plant medicine when I was introduced to herbalist Sade Musa, who leads the community education and healing project Roots of Resistance . Part of my commitment to self-care and reducing harm meant getting in touch with Mother Earth and learning to seek her out in moments of overwhelm, but it was frustrating that most of the traditions I was being introduced to were European or repackaged indigenous practices. I was starting to feel like the only way to get in...
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Structural Racism and its Impact on Black Maternal Health (New Security Beat)
By Deekshita Ramanarayan, July 21, 2020, New Security Beat. “The past months have been profoundly difficult for our nation, and for Black communities in particular,” said Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) at a recent March of Dimes event on the impact of structural racism on maternal health. COVID-19 has highlighted health outcome inequity caused by race and racism. Though Black people constitute 13 percent of the U.S. population, the CDC estimates they represent over 30 percent of...
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This wasn't the first time
Going out to buy groceries, going out for a walk, driving your kid back home from school. For most people these activities are normal, everyday things with little to no excitement, as they should be. Unfortunately, getting food, exercising, and supporting my son’s education have been a little more out of the ordinary for me. You see, I am a Mexican Indigenous man, brown skin, shaved head. My ethnicity and physical appearance are by no means unusual, especially in the part of the country...
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A Black PhD student got his harasser on video and it gives insight into daily racism (CBC News)
By CBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2020 6:19 PM. Tari Ajadi was having coffee with a white colleague when a man targeted him on the street When Tari Ajadi became the target of a racist confrontation in Halifax recently, it was not a new experience, but unlike in previous incidents he pulled out his cell phone and began recording. The comments he captured on video — a stranger suggesting that Ajadi's white colleague should be in a relationship with a white man — have been widely circulated and...
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Policy and System Change (racialequitytools.org)
Source: https://www.racialequitytools.org/act/strategies/policy-and-system-change Policy, as used here, refers to the laws and regulations that govern major systems, including health, education, criminal justice, education and so on. Individuals are deeply and directly affected by policies and systems, including the laws and regulations themselves. They are also deeply and directly affected by unequal application by race/ethnicity of common policies and laws, and by unequal consequences by...
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Communities of Opportunity Invites Proposals for Black-led Systems and Policy Change (Best Start)
RFP Announcement - King Co Washington state. Proposals are requested for the 2021 grant year. Communities of Opportunity (COO) commits $725,000 to systems and policy change projects led by and for Black communities in King County. Eligible partnerships of Black-led (including African descent and diaspora) organizations working on systems and policy change in the Black community may apply for funding through this Request for Proposal. In June 2020 King County Executive Dow Constantine and...
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Youth-Led Advocacy Creates Healing Opportunities in Baltimore City
After a shooting at a historic Baltimore high school in February 2019—a 25-year-old man, angry about the school’s treatment of his sister, who was a student there, shot a special education assistant with a Smith and Wesson handgun—conversation in the city centered on whether school resource officers should be armed. Students said that was the wrong question. When City Council’s education and youth committee, chaired by council member Zeke Cohen, held hearings on school violence following the...
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We Need More Entrepreneurs Building Companies That Address Society’s Biggest Needs (HBR)
By October 5, 2020, Harvard Business Review. 2020 is the year the world’s attention turned to the deep fractures of our economic, political, educational, and healthcare systems. The year when status quo solutions were no longer good enough. For all the declarations of being “in this together,” the dual pandemics of Covid-19 and systemic racism have revealed how low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately left out, let down, and punished by our systems. The death of...
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Why cultural safety rather than cultural competency is required to achieve health equity: a literature review and recommended definition (International Journal for Equity and Health)
Curtis, E., Jones, R., Tipene-Leach, D. et al. Why cultural safety rather than cultural competency is required to achieve health equity: a literature review and recommended definition. Int J Equity Health 18, 174 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-1082-3 Abstract Background Eliminating indigenous and ethnic health inequities requires addressing the determinants of health inequities which includes institutionalised racism, and ensuring a health care system that delivers appropriate...
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Decolonizing Environmentalism (yesmagazine.org)
The exclusion of Indigenous people and other non-White communities in environmental and conservation work is, unfortunately, nothing new. For centuries, conservation has been driven by Eurocentric, Judeo-Christian belief structures that emphasize a distinct separation of “Man” and “Nature”—an ideology that does not mesh well with many belief structures, including those belonging to Indigenous communities. Before the onset of such religion through colonialist conquests, the overwhelming...
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Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC)
By LaDawn Sullivan, Director of Leadership & Equity, lsullivan@denverfoundation.org . Established in June, the Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) Fund directs resources to address systemic racism and its impact on Black communities across the seven-county Metro Denver region. The Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) Fund application is now closed. Decisions on funding and grant awards will be made in mid-October. [ Please click here to read more ]
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Low levels of choline in pregnant Black American women associated with higher levels of stress (Mirage News)
NOVEMBER 17, 2020 5:08 AM AEDT Women with lower levels of choline delivered prematurely by 2 weeks, increasing risk of later mental health problems for their offspring. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campu s have found that many pregnant Black Americans have low levels of choline, an essential nutrient that aids in prenatal brain development. Stress caused by institutional racism may play a role. The study, out now in Schizophrenia Bulletin , also found that these...
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Open access study reveals harmful effects of redlining on babies born three generations later (Berkeley News)
By Virgie Hoban, November 19, 2020, Berkeley News. It was a racist policy enacted over 80 years ago, but its aftermath dribbles on — all the way to the babies born today, new research shows. Using historical maps and modern birth data, UC Berkeley researchers have found that babies born in California neighborhoods historically redlined — denied federal investments based on the discriminatory lending practices of the 1930s — are now more likely to have poorer health outcomes. The study was...
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Disparities in COVID-19 Outcomes: Understanding the Root Cause Is Key to Achieving Equity [journals.lww.com]
By La Quandra S. Nesbitt, Journal of Public Health Management & Practice (January/February 2021), December 2020 As the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States increased, and public reporting of demographic characteristics improved, the stark disparities in COVID-19–related incidence and mortality became evident. 1 While these disparities were alarming to many, for others, they illuminated the unfortunate inequities in health and health care that exist and persist in the United...
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Black Americans are forced to operate our entire lives in battle mode. It's utterly exhausting. [nytimes.com]
By Nathan McCall, The New York Times, November 23, 2020 Decades ago, when I was a teenager growing up in Portsmouth, Va., my buddies and I constantly railed against the evils of “the system.” We viewed the system as a vast, amorphous establishment that worked to preserve White privilege and control Black folks’ lives. It was the 1970s, and as proof that our hatred of the White mainstream was justified, we had to look no further than our homes. We saw that our parents were beaten down,...
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‘The Backbone Of Democracy’: These Black Women Helped Define 2020 (forbes.com)
This year, as we honor the World's 100 Most Powerful Women , we also honor the women—the Black women—who have been instrumental in exposing racial inequity and are some of the most influential drivers for societal change. Kamala Harris, no. 3 on this year’s Power Women list, paid tribute to Black women in her first speech as Vice president elect. The group, she said, is “too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.” Stacey Abrams, who earned the 100th...
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Open access study reveals harmful effects of redlining on babies born three generations later [news.lib.berkeley.edu]
Virgie Hoban November 19, 2020 It was a racist policy enacted over 80 years ago, but its aftermath dribbles on — all the way to the babies born today, new research shows. Using historical maps and modern birth data, UC Berkeley researchers have found that babies born in California neighborhoods historically redlined — denied federal investments based on the discriminatory lending practices of the 1930s — are now more likely to have poorer health outcomes. The study was published open access...
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Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice (zinnedproject.org)
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian. 2020. This collection of writings offers lessons from successful challenges to institutional racism that have been won through the grassroots Black Lives Matter at School movement. Black Lives Matter at School offers the wisdom of lessons learned through the Black Lives Matter at School movement, which began at one school in 2016 and has since spread to hundreds of schools across the country. This book will inspire many hundreds...
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Dismantling Racism & All The Other Isms (Thursday Sessions)
Registration for the event is at the link below. This is the Thursday session that runs from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 11th, 18th, 25th, April 1st. Join the conversation with DiDi Delgado, Debby Irving, Fiyah Angel, Nandi K., and Dr. Shamell Bell for an interactive class & discussion forum on dismantling oppression in this current era of resistance. Don't miss the last version of the live class Discussion topics will include: • Practicing Anti-Racism • Which Black Person Do I Follow...
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Resources for Teaching About Race and Racism With The New York Times [nytimes.com]
A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films and graphs relating to racism and racial justice. By Nicole Daniels , Michael Gonchar and Natalie Proulx March 4, 2021 The summer of 2020 was not the first time that urgent conversations about race and racism were happening in homes, classrooms and workplaces. But the energy of the Black Lives Matter protests, believed by many to be the largest in U.S. history , was unparalleled. Though the demands and chants may have...
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Anti-Racism Resources List
Racial Trauma, Historical Trauma & Healing 44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country www.self.com ACEs Connection ACEs Science & Racism Resources Center 3 Realms of ACEs ACEs & African Americans Community on ACEs Connection ACEs teach us why racism is a health equity Issue: Dr. Flojaune Cofer (Part One) Racing ACEs Gathering & Reflections; If it's not racially just; it's not trauma-informed Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience: A...
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Why Society Must Address Intersectional Discrimination (aspeninstitute.org)
What should every American know? This question has long been debated, discussed, and deliberated. And while answers need to come from all of us—not just a powerful few—young people have often been excluded from these conversations. A partnership between Chicago Public Schools and the Aspen Institute’s program on Citizenship and American Identity aims to change that. Together they seek to elevate youth perspectives, beliefs, and values as vital to our national conversation of civic purpose.
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Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Level-1
HEAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA & Iya Affo PRESENT: The Historical Trauma Specialist Certification- Level 1 is a comprehensive understanding of Historical Trauma from a multicultural lens. The training is designed for participants serving, leading, advocating and working with people of color. It is the perfect training for people in a variety of disciplines as well as multicultural families and for anyone with the desire to understand the impact of slavery, genocide and colonization. The course...
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A Letter to Black and Indigenous Autistic Teens (neurclastic.com)
Dear Young Black Autistics, Hey, friends. I’m a mixed-race Black and Indigenous young adult. I write to you today as someone who was recently your age, and perhaps dealing with struggles not unlike your own. You may notice that you are different from others in how you think, how you see things, and perhaps how you move, too. Racism and Ableism Colors All Our Relationships Our parents have more stress about autism because they already worry about us being killed by police or accused of a...
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Join Us! Upcoming events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., beginning on January 18th we will be hosting a number of events aimed at building The Beloved community. The National Day of Racial Healing offers us an opportunity to reflect upon the principles set forth by Dr. King . We welcome all to join us as we learn from our shared humanity to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism. Use the attached flyer to register for these events!
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Top Reasons for Joining the Summit
Virtual Conference | April 5-6, 2022 Our world gets more complex every day. So it's more important than ever to address the traumas that affect our communities. That’s why we’re coming together at the Hanna Institute Summit: to heal our communities. But why should you join us? Here are the top three reasons people attend the Summit: 1) Learn from Experts From best-selling authors Ibram X. Kendi and Resmaa Menakem to Nancy Dome and Dr. Gary Slutkin, national and Bay Area experts will bring...
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Intergenerational Trauma and the Promise of Healing (psychologytoday.com)
Intergenerational trauma Trauma occurs when a person suffers intense emotional pain or a threat to their life or sense of safety to such an extent that it overwhelms their ability to cope . We often think of trauma as occurring from catastrophic or violent events. But researchers have found that daily accumulations of stress , like repeated experiences of racism , can result in traumatic symptoms that are detrimental to one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. In the past 10 years, a...
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Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race (socialjusticebooks.org)
Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race is the book we’ve been waiting for! The team (Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas) did an incredible thing: they explained race and racism to young children. Not only did they do it in a few pages of a board book, but they also provided guidance to the adults who will read it to children. As soon as you open the book, the reader is greeted with colorful representations of the authors and illustrator, as well as a note on the purpose and...