The Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative
"By first acknowledging that racial trauma and implicit bias are real and that not only people of color but all people experience it, we seek to not only become a collaborative but also unifying symbol that together we can and will all do the work to 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." - Tamara R. Allen, Co-Founder
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The Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative helps put Mental Health In Focus through a diverse lens while also providing access to much-needed mental health, trauma, and anti-racism resources to support the diversity of people who need help navigating through the anxiety and trauma that stem from and are associated with systemic racism.
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People often ask, what is systemic racism? Although it can be defined in many ways. Systemic Racism includes the policies and practices entrenched in established institutions, which result in the exclusion or promotion of designated groups. It differs from overt discrimination in that no individual intent is necessary. The result of that can show up in many forms, but when we look at how systemic trauma is defined, we see it refers to the contextual features of environments and institutions that give rise to trauma, maintain it, and impact post-traumatic responses.
The Trauma & Anti-Racism Initiative seeks to break through these walls while pushing us to ask the tough questions, and more importantly to do the work to help us better understand each other, grow together, and heal for the betterment of all our futures.
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 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 brought been 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 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.
