self-care and healing
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Police Reforms Must Include Reparations for Those Living Through the Trauma of Police Violence
When Eric Garner died after being put in a chokehold by then-New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17, 2014, his daughter Erica Garner immediately became an activist of the highest caliber. She organized marches, wrote articles, and stood up to demand a conversation with President Obama at the presidential town hall on race…
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'You Don't Have to Know Somebody to Grieve Them': How Black People Can Process Collective Trauma and Grief
“There is a lot of grieving in the air.” — Alice Mills Mai, LMHC text NYC-based licensed mental health counselor Alice Mills Mai believes the collective grief gripping black people in America right now is almost palpable. From the killing of Ahmaud Arbery to the deaths of cultural icons like Little Richard and Betty Wright,…
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Slowly in the 4th Quarter
Today was one of those “Barely get dressed” kind of days. Today was one of those “You gotta get out of the house” kind of days. Today was one of those “You can’t let the world drain you” kind of days. Today was a “Leggings off the floor, relatively clean T-shirt and closest sneakers” kinda…
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When Vanity Is Self-Care
The salon was busy when I walked in. There was the chatter of stylists gossiping with clients, the whirl of hair dryers and the receptionist laughing into her cellphone. She paused the conversation to ask if she could help me. Before I could respond, the stylist I’d come to see noticed me and waved me…
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We Need More Than Self-Care; We Need Healing, Too
Black folks have always faced an existential dilemma in the U.S. The constant drum of violence on our bodies and our dignity leaves an impression on our collective psyche that we too seldom acknowledge. These unsparing conditions leave many black people with a sense of brokenness—about who they are, the direction of their lives or…