🚨📰 NEWS RELEASE: The Coalition of Concerned Freedmen Issues Four Calls-to-Action in Open Letter to College Presidents Demanding Lineage-Based Affirmative Action for Descendants of U.S. Slaves/Free Negroes Pamela Denise Long, National Coordinator for The Coalition of Concerned Freedmen stated, "Historians largely frame 1960's Affirmative Action as a response to Negroes' sustained resistance to the unconstitutional Jim Crow era that began after the sabotage of Reconstruction (via the...

" M illions of Americans are returning back to work after being home during the pandemic. While this has been exciting for many, some are feeling burned out by their work. What do you do if you are feeling burned out by your work? How do you reverse it? How can you “get your mojo back”? What can employers do to help their staff reverse burnout? [Read More here ]

We are still debating if diversity, equity, inclusion is necessary and struggling to include anti-racism as a standard component of the work. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism (DEIA) committees have an important role to play in trauma-informed care. Following the social unrest of 2020, organizations issued passionate statements about the evil of anti-Black racism and committed to amplifying diversity and fighting racism. A lot of this was lip service—corporations doing symbolic...

Your step-by-step guide to using the Department of Education’s latest data release to uncover—and address—the racial disparities in your district. I remember being suspended for “insubordination” in sixth grade. I thought my teacher just didn’t like me. I didn’t know I was experiencing something much deeper and more problematic. It wasn’t just one bad teacher. The entire school district was four times more likely to suspend students who looked like me—Black boys—than our White peers. And...

No matter the poll, no matter the year, and no matter the conditions of life in America for people of color, white folks have rarely ever believed racism to be much of a problem. Nothing shocking there, I suppose. Whenever a system works to your benefit, taking that system for granted becomes second nature. We don’t see what others who are harmed by that system see, because we don’t have to. Most slaveowners never questioned the legitimacy of their system, and most whites — including those...

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Academy on Violence and Abuse Regional Summit in St. Louis. It was enjoyable listening to local health care providers use a trauma-informed lens to discuss medical care. As well as listening to internationally known experts on the seminal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study. I also had the honor of sitting on a panel that showcased St. Louis based health care practices that are adapting ACEs Science into patient/consumer interactions...

There is a lot of conversation about "anti-racism allies." Here is a story and interview with two women who are committed to putting that philosophy into action. "White Nonsense Roundup (WNR) was created by white people, for white people, to address our inherently racist society. We believe it is our responsibility to call out white friends, relatives, contacts, speakers, and authors who are contributing to structural racism and harming our friends of color. We are a resource for anti-racist...

After being pulled over for a busted tail light on July 6, Philando Castile informed a Minnesota police officer at his window that he owned a gun and had a license to carry it. As he reached for his license and registration, his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter then watched as the police officer fired four shots into Castile’s body. He died in the driver’s seat. Allowing suspects to explain their side of the story reduced compliance issues Castile was one of 137 Black people in the...

I am writing to inquire about representation for a class action lawsuit or other suit structure related to trauma-informed policy and racial justice. I recognize you are not a "legal firm" and also recognize the connections you may have from the tireless work you do on behalf of people of African ancestry. While it may be most productive to discuss the strategy rather than read/write about it, I will briefly outline some of the theory here. Specifically, as an educational psychologist it is...

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world, with over 2.4 million people currently behind bars. Poor people and people of color are incarcerated at vastly disproportionate rates. Many prisoners are held in solitary confinement or denied adequate medical care and educational opportunities, and few resources are invested in reentry or community programs. AFSC works to end mass incarceration, improve conditions for people who are in prison, stop prison...

"White privilege. It’s the phrase bigots hate to hear and progressives love to denounce. If you are white and clicked on this blog to be congratulated for naming your privilege, you can stop reading in a few characters. Thank you for naming your privilege. It’s a good starting point of solidarity with people of color (POC) to name that your privilege exists. But naming your privilege is not the same thing as taking actions to reject it and dismantle white supremacy. White allies are quick to...

"Whiteness Project is an interactive investigation into how Americans who identify as white, or partially white, understand and experience their race. Whiteness Project is conducting interviews with people from all walks of life and localities in which they are asked about their relationship to, and their understanding of, their own whiteness. Each video interview is paired with a statistic that provides a greater societal context and offers an opportunity for self-reflection by the audience...

This is an interesting read from the Atlantic about anti-racism work in the United States. Anti-racism work being instep with a recognition of the effects of historical trauma. There are noteworthy actions being taken, one of which I have included below as a partial excerpt from the original piece. The article covers everything from Ben Carson, Cosby, the role of white people in the case of Trump, on to general political activity. The writer assumes the reader has or encourages the reader to...

Social learning and analysis of cultural views on interpersonal violence have much to say about peer-to-peer bullying, vertical workplace microaggressions, and social horizontal violence. We generally agree that "microaggressions" are undesirable, yet some would suggest interpersonal aggressions are unavoidable. For some time professional development workshops and staff-focused social-emotional capacity training have focused on merely coping with microaggressions or assuming an assertive...