Blog

In The Black Panther movie, we marveled over Okoye and her magnificent band of the Dora Milaje, powerful female warriors. In this true-to-life depiction, Wakanda is Dahomey, present day, Benin, West Africa. Okoye is a famous female warrior and forgotten queen named Queen Hangbe who lead the most powerful army in West Africa fighting against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the MINO also known as the Amazon Women of Dahomey. Today, we are remembering their brilliance, fierceness, discipline...

LEVEL 2 HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION MARCH 2022!!! The wait is finally over! Iya Affo and Heal Historical Trauma will present: Historical Trauma Specialist Certification- LEVEL 2: A Neurological, Environmental & Cultural Perspective on March 1st & 2nd 2022. LEVEL 2 will cover the following: Neurological implications of Historical Trauma and how to align neurobiology with desired behavioral outcomes. Indigenous Attachment Theory Understanding the injurious relationship...

Kevan and Ritha Rowe’s journey to buying their own home was both long and very fast. Shortly after marrying in 2003, the Rowes thought about buying a home, but it was the height of the housing bubble that eventually burst and led to the Great Recession. In the time since, they started a family and pursued their personal finance goals. “It’s funny because everyone makes fun of me because I like watching the news at mid-day and at night just to see what’s going on,” Ritha recounted. “I was...

For generations, Indigenous communities in the United States have protested Columbus Day—a centuries-old observance in the United States—and for decades have led a movement to rename the second Monday in October from “Columbus Day” to “Indigenous Peoples Day.” Today, more than a dozen states have formally embraced Indigenous Peoples Day as part of a process to recenter Indigenous communities and end the glorification of settler colonialism. Precisely within this context, educator and author...

By Shania Degroot, New York Amsterdam News, July 8, 2021 Consolee Nishimwe, 41, lives in New York City and devotes much of her time to advocating for women’s rights as well as helping the people who have survived genocide-related trauma. Nishimwe, a Rwandan genocide survivor, recalls much of her current work being influenced by the trauma she experienced during her childhood in Rwanda. Consolee grew up in Rwanda, where both of her parents worked as teachers. Prior to 1994, she was raised...

What should every American know? This question has long been debated, discussed, and deliberated. And while answers need to come from all of us—not just a powerful few—young people have often been excluded from these conversations. A partnership between Chicago Public Schools and the Aspen Institute’s program on Citizenship and American Identity aims to change that. Together they seek to elevate youth perspectives, beliefs, and values as vital to our national conversation of civic purpose.

Anneliese M. Bruner was in her mid-30s when her father presented her with a small red book. It was bound in cloth and worn at the corners. “This is a book your grandmother wrote,” he told her, “and I want you to see what you can do with it. You are the matriarch of the family now, and I’m giving this to you.” Opening it, she saw a panoramic photograph that revealed the utter destruction of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Okla. , in the immediate aftermath of a white mob descending on the...

We recently sat down with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general, and Dave Ellis, the first executive director of the Office of Resilience at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. A pioneering voice on prevention, early identification, and treatment of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Dr. Burke Harris gained national prominence with her viral 2015 TED talk on this topic. Dave Ellis made his name as a national leader in providing trainings and...

Evanston, Illinois, on Monday became the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The Chicago suburb’s City Council voted 8-1 to distribute $400,000 to eligible black households. Each qualifying household would receive $25,000 for home repairs or down payments on property. The program is being funded through donations and revenue from a 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. The city has pledged...

"We're a nation that needs hope and healing" - Alfred White Are you someone who has experienced adversity in your life such as addiction, chronic stress, homelessness, incarceration, or other trauma? On March 28th, listen in on a Conversation with Dr. Veronique Mead on Sunday Nights with Alfred White: Real Talk Health and Wellness for the BIPOC Community. Dr. Mead is the founder of Chronic Illness Trauma Studies and her work has been life-saving for Alfred's health. Join us on TLOEP's...

A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films and graphs relating to racism and racial justice. By Nicole Daniels , Michael Gonchar and Natalie Proulx March 4, 2021 The summer of 2020 was not the first time that urgent conversations about race and racism were happening in homes, classrooms and workplaces. But the energy of the Black Lives Matter protests, believed by many to be the largest in U.S. history , was unparalleled. Though the demands and chants may have...

Registration for the event is at the link below. This is the Thursday session that runs from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 11th, 18th, 25th, April 1st. Join the conversation with DiDi Delgado, Debby Irving, Fiyah Angel, Nandi K., and Dr. Shamell Bell for an interactive class & discussion forum on dismantling oppression in this current era of resistance. Don't miss the last version of the live class Discussion topics will include: • Practicing Anti-Racism • Which Black Person Do I Follow...