By Renée Graham — 2020
Black people should not deny themselves spaces where we find joy and wonder—they are too rare in our lives.
Read on www.bostonglobe.com
CLEAR ALL
Our culture has taught us that we do not have the privilege of being vulnerable like other communities.
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So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.
“I still eat rice and beans. I just use brown rice now,” said Annya Santana of Menos Mas, a wellness company that speaks to African-American and Latinx communities.
The Latinx community is just as vulnerable to mental illness as the general population, but faces disparities in treatment.
Eso es para locos. Esta generación... siempre inventando. These are the words I’d hear anytime I mentioned therapy or mental health growing up.
“When I started my undergraduate degree in psychology, my grandmother said she was afraid I would become pagal (“crazy”) because of it.
I’m learning that my challenge isn’t just to unlearn what my family has taught me, but to put myself in situations that would reaffirm the new lessons I was trying to replace the old ones with.
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A place to start for Black women and women of color looking to reclaim their power.
It’s far from news that there is a lack of space and resources allocated for Black women to heal.
Self and community care is critical to combating the effects of racism and intersectional violence.