Black History Month 2024
By Charmaine Fuller
Writing about Black History Month as a White woman is a daunting task. How do I use my privilege and position to talk about the struggles of Black people and honor their amazing contributions to the fields of psychology and therapy?
Well, first, I think it is important to acknowledge that as a white woman, the privilege I was born into makes it so that I will never know what it is like to live as a Black person in our country. And as such, I will likely make mistakes as I try to engage in empathy and understanding. I invite others to correct me or point out when I am blinded by my privilege.
In the same beat though, it is my responsibility to be informed. It absolutely is not the responsibility of my clients, friends, or colleagues to educate me. As a licensed professional, I am literally responsible to seek out education and resources pertaining to multicultural competency as a part of my licensure. And as such, I wanted to highlight a few of the things I have learned from Black people.
Who Was Audrey Lorde?
Audre Lorde was a feminist during the second wave of feminism and a lesbian who spoke often about the plight of queer women in America. In a letter she wrote to the author of Gyn/Ecology in May of 1979, she explained her frustration in attempting to teach white women about racism: “I had decided never again to speak to white women about racism. I felt it was wasted energy because of destructive guilt and defensiveness, and because whatever I had to say might better be said by white women to one another at far less emotional cost to the speaker, and probably with better hearing.”
Throughout my career I have been reminded in several ways that if I want to be an advocate and an ally, I have to know how to use my privilege appropriately. One way is by speaking up about how racism manifests at both micro and macro levels. Black people face unique difficulties when it comes to mental health. We know that they are less likely to have access to healthcare and less likely to seek out services.
When they do seek that care, they are less likely to receive appropriate help, accurate diagnoses, or enough care. Black people are overrepresented in schizophrenia diagnoses and underrepresented in neurodiversity and PTSD diagnoses. As mental health professionals, it is our job to be aware of these disparities. Our work is to understand how cultural differences, history of trauma, and abuse all impact psychological well-being . As an advocate for my minority clients and ally of movements like Black Lives Matter, I want to be aware of these things and know how to speak to others about them.
Who is Luvvie Ajayi Jones?
Luvvie Ajayi Jones is a Nigerian American writer who, in her TEDtalk, spoke about being a “professional troublemaker.” She gave us a simple guide for having difficult conversations. I’ve used and taught her questions countless times. She offers these three questions to ask yourself before saying difficult things or having uncomfortable conversations: Did you mean it? Can you defend it? And, did you say it with love? These three questions are a brilliant start to open conversations for deeper understanding, appreciation, and care.
Generational trauma is one area that is getting more and more attention in the mental health field. Every one of us has trauma that has been passed down through actions and behaviors in our family systems, and genetically. Resmaa Menakem, a leader in the field of psychotherapy, has spoken and written about generational trauma often. He says, “The answer to why so many of us have difficulties is because our ancestors spent centuries here under unrelentingly brutal conditions.
Generation after generation, our bodies stored trauma and intense survival energy, and passed these on to our children and grandchildren.” Understanding that everyone carries around the trauma passed on to them is imperative as a mental health provider. Which means, it’s also important for us, as mental health professionals, to be curious. I can learn and read about the systems of oppression for my Black clients, but it’s also important to be curious about the individual’s experiences: of their history, their family, and their family’s history. Resmaa Menakem has also stressed this when he said,
“Trauma in a person, decontextualized over time, looks like personality. Trauma in a family, decontextualized over time, looks like family traits. Trauma in a people, decontextualized over time, looks like culture. ” Context matters, and curiosity gets us more context.
Being Multiculturally Informed
So, how do we, as White people, in a field where Whiteness is overrepresented, build context so that we can be more multiculturally informed? Seek out Black creators in all the places you look for content. Read poetry from people that look different from you. Listen to the music and seek art from artists of all backgrounds and cultures. Follow Black creators on social media. And most importantly, be quiet and curious. What do I mean when I say, “be quiet?” I mean don’t take up space that isn’t meant for you.
As White people we have privilege and take up more space than we always need to. If the space is specific or particular to Black individuals, be quiet and curious. One blogger, Flavia Dzoden, wrote “My feminism will be intersectional or it will be bullshit.” I am reminded repeatedly that my privilege often blinds me to the plight of those less privileged than I am. Being quiet and curious when people speak and write about their experiences, which are different my own, helps to remind me that being an intersectional feminist means doing the work of diversity, equality, and inclusion of everyone.
Happy Black History Month!
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When I Dare to Be Powerful
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My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies
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Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso (Podcast), Episode 200
My Feminism Will Be Intersectional or it Will Be Bullshit, published Oct 10,
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2011, on Tigerbeatdown.com
