Happy Juneteenth!
Taken at the Black Lives Matter protest (in response to the murder of George Floyd) in London in May of 2020.
Happy Juneteenth!
Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrating the end of the enslavement of Black people in the United States. It is celebrated on June 19th, the date that the last enslaved people were freed in Texas in 1865.
Why is this important for a therapist to talk about?
In short, because Black lives matter, and it’s important for anyone working in the health and wellness space to understand the injustices, inequality and racism that still exist in the world today. These systematic issues continue to be traumatic to People of Color, and understanding that is key for effective therapy. Also key to effective therapy… therapists understanding their own privilege, power and internalized racism. To quote Dr. Isha McKenzie Mavinga in the most recent episode of Conversations with a Wounded Healer, “It becomes an ethical question… white people need to learn about themselves as white people and the impact of being white and being members of the perpetrator group.”
Doing “the work”
The mental health industry was created by and for white people. It’s still currently dominated by cis, straight, middle-class white people (myself included). Most training institutions are run by white people, and most therapists are white people. Like most things run by white folx, it can be pretty exclusionary for POC. For white therapists, the bare minimum for a practice which is actively anti-racist is being willing to do the difficult work of exploring our own power and privilege. I’m working on it knowing that this is a lifelong process which has no finish line, and if I want to truly commit to working on it, that I have to explore the most uncomfortable parts of myself. I have to be willing to lose privilege, comfort, and my understanding of the way the world works.
There are A LOT of resources out there to support white people in doing this work. I recommend starting with The Race Conversation by Eugene Ellis, The Challenge of Racism in Therapeutic Practice by Dr. Isha McKenzie Mavinga, and Supporting Trans People of Colour by Sabah Choudrey. If you’re struggling, there is an actual template to follow. Cool, right? White folx, we are literally set up for success with this!
What’s On This Week?
We’ll be talking on Instagram this week about power and freedom!
Check out last week’s episode of Conversations with a Wounded Healer if you haven’t already. My conversation with Dr. Isha is not to be missed!
Come practice with me at yoga classes in Brighton on Saturday at 9:30am where we’re doing a yang to yin with breathwork with the theme of freedom within our bodies!
Wednesday is the Summer Solstice and I’ll be leading breathwork on the beach in partnership with Beach Box Sauna and a few other Brighton folks. Come for an evening of yoga, sound, sauna and sun! It’s free!
As always
If you’re struggling with mental health, internalized racism, or looking to explore your power and privilege Get in touch to find out more about what I offer!
If you’re in Brighton, I’ll hope to see you on the mat. If you’re far away, I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback on the podcast and hearing from you on Instagram.
Until next week, take good care!
Anne
