Race-Based Trauma

Images from the We The People Series: Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd, Terrence Crutcher © Howard Barry, used with permission of the artist.

The trauma is white supremacy. It is an external force that intrudes & disrupts Black lives.
 

Images from the We The People Series: Tanisha Anderson, Clementa Pinckney, Kalief Browder and Unfinished Business: Darrien Hunt © Howard Barry, used with permission of the artist.

Mourning and grief are not a privilege we have...
 

SELF-CARE

Readergirl Sleeping © William Henderson-Moore

Readergirl Sleeping © William Henderson-Moore

IF YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE LOSING IT:

1. FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING: Meditation and yoga have the power to change DNA, and can transform stress;

2. FOCUS ON YOUR INTENTION: What do you need to do now to take care of yourself?

3. CALL SOMEONE: Say, “I need help. Talk me down.”

4. IDENTIFY THE CORE EMOTION RISING: Fear, shame, feeling bullied, anger;

5. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE: Ask - What do I need to release in order to get back to center, get back my armor of light, back in my spiritual power?

6. ASK: What is my one next step?

7. DO IT.
— Eisha, Licensed Spiritual Practioner
 
While we fight, we also need spaces for healing & emotional support.

— @BroSis512 youth leader #RR2016
 
If you focus on your breathing, it will bring you out of your mind and back into your body. Just know that you are not alone.
— "Antoinette," Crown Heights Film
 

Credits: Byron Young, MD, Visonary, Michael Brown "Primo Miguel" music, James Woods "Dat yoga Dude" producer/subject, David Philips, Director. Used with permission.

THE LEGACY OF TRAUMA

Ferguson Police Just Executed My Unarmed Son © Howard Barry

Ferguson Police Just Executed My Unarmed Son © Howard Barry

Salvation is broken spirits being healed
Voiceless people speaking out
Black people empowered to love their own blackness
— James Cone
 

Assassination by Proxy

The Ecstasy of St. Kara: Kara Walker, New Work by Beau Rutaland and Reto Thuring features the essay, "Assassination by Proxy," by Kara Walker on the growing litany of killings by police.

The Ecstasy of St. Kara: Kara Walker, New Work by Beau Rutaland and Reto Thuring features the essay, "Assassination by Proxy," by Kara Walker on the growing litany of killings by police.

Serious question. How do I protect my family short of going to jail?
 

MICAH JOHNSON & GAVIN EUGENE LONG

 

Racial Trauma Specialists