Our Approach
This blog will be dedicated to what we’ve learned from individuals and families, and through researching healing processes for historical trauma. Here we will introduce what we call "the stages," which are helpful in addressing the legacies of slavery in the U.S.
We believe that there are a number of things that people and communities can do to stand together to effectively deal with the negative outcomes of years of inequality. People have an immense capacity to courageously face the past, compassionately listen to those with different perspectives, carefully heal their own wounds and creatively think of ways to right past injustices. These steps can work to eliminate race-based inequality and create stronger and more unified communities.
These four stages are needed to address the legacy of slavery. Without all of them the process will be incomplete. The words to represent these stages are history, connection, healing and action. The order in which they are engaged can be different, but none can be omitted. These could be applied to many different situations throughout the world. Here they are specifically applied to the legacies of slavery in the U.S.
History: There were more than 250 years of legal African slavery in the U.S. This system was upheld by laws, practices, attitudes and beliefs that kept people with darker skin out of decision-making in major institutions that shaped U.S. society and maintained pale-skinned people’s authority.Because our current structures and experiences are based on what came before, we need to understand what happened in the past to make sense of our current challenges of racial division and inequality. The legalized institution of slavery that gave rights to people of European heritage and took away the rights of people of African heritage officially ended close to 150 years ago. However, the color system that was first sanctioned by slave laws and then supported by new discriminatory laws, attitudes and practices is related to what we still deal with today. To make sense of today, we must learn our history–in families, communities, regions and as a nation.
Connecting: History alone can be presented in a way that continues to hurt and divide. Part of learning history is understanding the impact of the events on the people involved and oneself. This can be done through personal reflection and listening to family members or others in the community talk about how they have been affected. If you are European American, what was it like for you or your family members to fight school integration? And what was it like for those of African heritage to integrate the schools? If you were involved in particular incidents of racial inequality, reflect on the personal impact. Being able to learn the different sides creates a fuller understanding of what happened and why things are the way they are.
Through listening to each other, people can develop authentic, healthy relationships that can provide a solid basis for planning activities that bridge communities and address issues that impact people of European and African heritage.
Healing: The impact of slavery and the history of unequal treatment based on skin color was and continues to be painful. It has caused trauma to those who were treated badly, those who participated in hurting others directly or through exclusionary practices and those who have witnessed people being hurt. If left unhealed, trauma is destructive to both the individual and the community. Finding ways to face trauma and work toward healing is important. Otherwise, trigger reactions, including acting out or retreating, will continue to get in the way of contributing to a healthy community.
Some people find that healing work must first take place in groups of people with like backgrounds. Other people find that doing healing work with people of different backgrounds is most useful. What is most important is that healing methods and practices can be found to prevent the hurt from being passed down to the next generation. Support groups, rituals, grieving and prayer are a few of the many ways that people can face the mental, physical and spiritual impacts of the history and ongoing hurt of dehumanization.
Action: Although there have been major strides in providing equal access to the nation’s resources and institutions, there is still more to do in eliminating the artificial stigmas that exist within a nation founded on racial inequality. An important stage in the process of healing and making things right is acknowledging harm and doing things differently. Through understanding the history and impact of slavery and its aftermath, we identify current day manifestations of that institution. Inequality in health-care,education, housing,and the criminal justice system, are a few of the major areas that have a direct relationship to the legacies of slavery. Through facing that history, listening to people who have been affected differently by it and working through related hurts,taking action is the final and most important stage in the process.Without action, hurtful patterns,behaviors and structures will remain the same and will continue to hurt future generations.
Learning history, making connections, healing wounds and taking action are each essential parts of healing from the legacy of slavery. They can happen in any order and are often revisited at great depth over time. The key is that they do not happen in isolation, and all are required to effectively heal the past and work toward a truthful, connected and healthy society.
