Trauma and Racism

Lack of access to testing, fear of being profiled while wearing face masks, and other issues are increasing toxic stress and straining mental health in communities of color. Learn what one leader is doing about it. One of the most troubling aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is how it is exacerbating long-standing and deeply rooted inequities in communities of color. Health disparities stemming from structural racism have contributed to COVID-19’s devastating toll on blacks and Latinos in...

The idea that there is a systemic problem with racism in the United States is a pill too big to swallow for some. We tend to act as if we have put racism behind us. We elected a Black president. Twice. We must then, collectively, be more open-minded, right? That kind of mindset often leads to the “one bad apple” theory. I saw this recently in my Facebook group. I had posted about a photograph that went viral of Samantha Francine, a Black woman protesting police brutality, being shouted at by...

For the leaders of Sarasota Strong (or "SRQ Strong") Florida, anti-racism work isn’t about inviting people of color to tables long-occupied by white professionals fluent in academic jargon and theories of change. It’s about venturing, with humility and openness, into spaces where Black people worship, work and live. Which is why, before SRQ Strong even had a name or held a formal event, educator/minister Helen Neal-Ali launched an eight-session series of healing workshops at Community Bible...