The fact that, in 2022, we are finally recognizing Juneteenth, requires us to concurrently think about the impact of disparities on Black and Brown people in our systems of care; both for the people served and the people who serve vulnerable adults. Further, deconstructing how anti-blackness harms us all means that one of the foundational steps we must take is to recognize that these systems require new patterns, including avoiding retreading reductive, ineffective narratives/practices as we work toward creating respectful processes that lead to equity and health.
To do this we must address the totality of cumulative harm resulting from structural and systemic inequities, rather than focus on individual acts of disparity. We know that shame is hardwired into the structure of inequities – both social and civic – often most salient in health and social services. Shame is the means by which racism and inequities are institutionalized. Our goal is to create a space where the language and vocabulary of equity is built on inclusion, empathy and compassion. Pushing ourselves to use a critical lens that asks: are ‘good intentions’ and ‘doing good’ enough to address the harm of structural and systemic oppression? We must listen, understand and address the needs of our communities and clients – so that we might undo some harms and support those in need in ways that are meaningful to them – in the act of living well.
“We often carry our trauma in similar ways, but the roads that led us to the trauma are all so different. We must pay attention to the road. That road is our humanity.” – Tarana Burke
The message of Juneteenth is that the news finally got to the enslaved people (years after the Emancipation Proclamation!) that they were no longer property. But did this legal change unshackle the former enslaved people’s spirits and permit them to embrace and celebrate their new-found freedom? No. Without addressing the structural and systemic inequities that were and continue to be rampant in the culture, the cumulative harm of slavery continues to exist, and is in fact the building block for more generations of the foundation of historical trauma to Black and Brown people.
Lynching of George Floyd May 25, 2020
From 1880 to 2021, over 4000 African Americans were lynched in the United States. Some lynchings were social events that were commemorated through photos and postcards.