The Courage To Do The White Work
The Courage To Do The White Work was developed as a supporting program within the Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative. The program offers panel discussions, virtual chats, educational courses, workshops, and other related opportunities for individuals to engage and learn from one another about how to address controversial, uncomfortable, and meaningful topics related to racism. Individuals who participate in these conversations impact communities of color, as well as other marginalized communities.
ACKNOWLEDGE. HEAL. UNIFY. ABOLISH OUR DIVIDE
The First Step Is To Acknowledge That
WE ARE DIFFERENT
AND...RACISM IS REAL.
TRAUMA IS REAL.
INSECURITY IS REAL.
IMPLICIT BIAS IS REAL.
You Are In Pain.
We Are In Pain.
You Are Grieving.
We Are Grieving.
You Are Traumatized.
We Are Traumatized.
You Need To Heal.
We Need To Heal.
You Can Fix It.
We Can Fix It.
You Can Unite.
We Can Unite.
"Racism is built into the DNA of America. And as long as we turn a blind eye to the pain of those suffering under its oppression, we will never escape those origins.”- Viola Davis
3 WAYS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS & ANTI-RACIST
ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTRIBUTE
1
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Acknowledge that you're also not immune to the racism, racial trauma, and implicit bias that exists within yourself and this country.
2
Choose to help yourself and others to heal and unify by sharing your gifts. Join us and others as we begin the painful yet freeing journey to heal from the trauma of racism and the false hierarchy that has assisted in keeping us all divided for generations.
3
Set up a meeting with us to discuss your interests and to learn more. Help us to work toward Abolishing The Divide by letting us know how you can contribute and if you would be volunteering your services, offering them at a reduced fee or at full price.
96% of African Americans report daily experiences of racism and discrimination. Even though we can help people to deal with trauma we also have to have the very honest expectation that they will continue to deal with it on a daily basis."
- Dr. Steven Kniffley
Virtual & In-Person Panels
We are committed to creating meaningful and informative dialogues and discussions with youth, teens, adults, and seniors of diverse economic class, identity, industry, and life experiences. During these panels, we will discuss topics that will lead to the introduction of new workshops, courses, and resources to support all of us in unpacking and healing from our experiences that may have been brought about due to trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, implicit bias, racism, or privilege.
Workshops
We work with our partners to develop and offer workshops that help all of us dive deeper and to engage in intensive discussion and activity that directly and indirectly relates to working through trauma and racism. Our goal is to help us all become more equipped to support each other, and to both identify and break down the systemic racism that exists within our own lives and those of others who also surround us. This is important because through this work, many of us will find that there are little to no places in which systemic racism hasn't impacted us all negatively. Therefore, it is necessary to do the individual work to break down, heal, and redefine the systems that govern and divide us.
Courses
Our Trauma & Anti-Racism related courses are offered and developed in partnership with a diverse group of collaborators, educators, learning institutions and leaders who are devoted to research, learning and policy development related to exploring mental health, race, racism, race equity, diversity, inclusion, and/or intersectionality.
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Group Support
We're committed to providing opportunities for individuals with similar and diversely different experiences to connect and work to develop authentic communication and skills to address their issues, deal with criticisms, as well as accept criticisms from others.
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Our goal is to help individuals to learn to take a deeper look into their experiences and ideals and ask themselves the questions that are needed to learn to take responsibility for their own growth and learning, and leave with a better understanding of what it means to acknowledge, address, and actively advance healing and antiracism systemically.
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Mental Health & Racism In Focus
Providing Access To The Support That You Need
BE! @ Community Initiatives is focused on bringing resources and leaders together on a national level to create a collaborative and unifying message of healing and transformation that supports the diverse needs and progression of black and brown communities.
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An initiative that intentionally focuses first on helping individuals acknowledge that racism, racial trauma, and implicit bias are real and that not only people of color but all people are and have been experiencing this for generations in diverse ways and throughout diverse communities.
OUR COLLABORATORS
We Have The Courage To Do The White Work To Address Systemic Racism & Trauma
She/Her/Her
she/her
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She/Her
Kelli Underwood
she/her
Kelli Underwood is a speaker, consultant, and psychotherapist. She is the founder of To Be Aligned, LLC and specializes in facilitating healing of traumatic experiences. Kelli conducts dynamic trainings on various topics for therapists, childcare providers, schools, companies. Ms. Underwood received a Master’s degree in Social Work from Indiana University in 1996.
Dot Lambshed Roche
she/her
Dot is a founding member of the Race Conscious Dialogues, which engages people who are white in examining identity, privilege and power, and provides tools for effective participation in racial justice efforts. She's involved in work for reparations at her church, and is interested in how deconstructing whiteness works within the larger conversation of racial inequity.
Susanne Fairfax
she/her
Susanne Fairfax is a community activist and media artist in Oak Park, IL. She fought for diversity and equity on the Diversity Committee at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Illinois. She is a member of the organization Freedom to Thrive, Oak Park, a group formed to re-imagine community safety. She also co-facilitates Race Conscious Dialogues cohorts.
Amanda Delheimer
she/her
Amanda is Artistic Director of 2nd Story. Her scholarly and artistic work circles around the intersections of story, psychology, biases, and the body. Most recently, Amanda presented on “White Fragility and Social Location Theory” and on “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—What does that mean for Presenters?”
The Courage To Do The White Work To Address
This event served as the Kickoff Event to BE! @ Community Initiatives' new Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative was moderated by Rocio Garcia and Tamara Allen, Co-Founders & Board Members of BE! @ CI along with Kelli Underwood (To Be Aligned, LLC), Susanne Fairfax (Community Activist), Dot Lambshead Roche (Race Conscious Dialogues), and Amanda Delheimer (2nd Story & CultureBuilds).
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The conversation was held on Thursday, August 20, 2020 centered around "whiteness" and what it means to have the courage to do the white work to address systemic racism and trauma.
Kelli Underwood
she/her
Kelli Underwood is a speaker, consultant, and psychotherapist. She is the founder of To Be Aligned, LLC and specializes in facilitating healing of traumatic experiences Kelli conducts dynamic trainings on a variety of topics for therapists, childcare providers, schools, companies. Ms. Underwood received a Master’s degree in Social Work from Indiana University in 1996.
Dot Lambshed Roche
she/her
Dot is a founding member of the Race Conscious Dialogues, which engages people who are white in examining identity, privilege and power, and provides tools for effective participation in racial justice efforts. She's involved in work for reparations at her church, and is interested in how deconstructing whiteness works within the larger conversation of racial inequity.
Susanne Fairfax
she/her
Susanne Fairfax is a community activist and media artist in Oak Park, IL. She fought for diversity and equity on the Diversity Committee at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Illinois. She is a member of the organization Freedom to Thrive, Oak Park, a group formed to re-imagine community safety. She also co-facilitates Race Conscious Dialogues cohorts.
Amanda Delheimer
she/her
Amanda is Artistic Director of 2nd Story. Her scholarly and artistic work circles around the intersections of story, psychology, biases, and the body. Most recently, Amanda presented on “White Fragility and Social Location Theory” and on “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—What does that mean for Presenters?”
The Courage To Do The White Work To Address
This event served as the Kickoff Event to BE! @ Community Initiatives' new Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative and was moderated by Rocio Garcia and Tamara Allen, Co-Founders & Board Members of BE! @ CI along with Kelli Underwood (To Be Aligned, LLC), Susanne Fairfax (Community Activist), Dot Lambshead Roche (Race Conscious Dialogues), and Amanda Delheimer (2nd Story & CultureBuilds).
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The conversation was held on Thursday, August 20, 2020 centered around "whiteness" and what it means to have the courage to do the white work to address systemic racism and trauma.