Category Archives: Racism

A Soundtrack for Social Justice

0 comments Racism, Social Justice , , , , , ,

A tenuous verdict On April 20, 2021 twelve jurors declared Derek Chauvin Guilty on three charges – 2nd degree murder, 3rd degree murder, and manslaughter. Such a verdict is unheard of, evidence of true justice in the very public death and modern-day lynching of George Floyd and unequivocal accountability for law enforcement. But only this time. The collective sigh that black people around the country painfully exhaled was quickly met with renewed heartache at the shooting death of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by a Columbus, Ohio police. During the three-week murder trial, “at least 64 people have died at the hands […]

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It’s Happening Again

0 comments Mental Health, Motherhood, Racism, Social Justice , , ,

At first, I didn’t even recognize it because I have tried so hard to push past the pain, to revel in spring’s sunshine instead of the doldrums of the day. I’ve turned off the TV, refused to watch the videos, tried to ignore the social media commentary, yet it still caught up with me. It’s happening again. George Floyd’s murder trial, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo Anguish as the dread in the pit of my stomach resurfaces Unfathomable fear as I watch my black son, my literal heart outside my chest, navigate a world that views him, his innocence, his existence, […]

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Suicide While Black

0 comments Children's Mental Health, Family, Health, Health Education, Mental Health, Racism, Social Justice

Sound the alarm Black children are in danger. From trauma to poverty to educational inequality to racism, our children face very real threats to their mental health every day. I distinctly remember being taught during my psychiatric residency training that black people don’t typically die by suicide; but sadly, this just isn’t true. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10 – 34 years of age. For black youth, suicide is on the rise. In 2015, Jeffrey Bridge et al. discovered that suicide rates among […]

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Higher Love

0 comments Family, Motherhood, Parenting, Racism, Social Justice , , , ,

Love – both heady and sweet, passionate and tender, heavy and carefree. Love inspires. Love accepts. It encourages. It creates a magical holding space. It desires good things – if it’s healthy love. But, toxic love harms, constrains, belittles, and wreaks havoc upon the soul. I want healthy love, a higher love; a love that endures, that earnestly seeks the best even when overwhelmed by the worst.

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Black Boy, Black Girl – I Love You

2 comments Children's Mental Health, Motherhood, Parenting, Racism

Some may not celebrate your beauty. Some ridicule your black skin; they mock your thick coils and tendrils. Some wish to extinguish your voice. Some may deny that your life has value. But to me, my black sons and my black daughters, you are precious, adored, cherished, and treasured. Never forget that despite what this cold, cruel world may say. I love you. I see you. I will take care of you. You are mine, and my love for you spans as deep as the oceans and as tall as the highest mountain peaks. These affirmations declare my eternal love […]

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Crushed by the Weight of My Pain

8 comments Racism, Social Justice , , ,

This poem is not meant to offend nor condemn but instead to ease the torment lying on my heart and to shed light upon the indelible impact of collective racial trauma for people of color who continue to repeatedly and painfully witness the tragic murders of unarmed black men and women A poem for George Floyd while the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor remain woefully fresh on my mind Hot, searing tears sting my cheeks My fragile heart breaks again Unbearable pain literally grips my chest Closing around my throat, choking my words My body trembles, my brain […]

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