What many don’t know is that Girls Are Powerful was started not only for my daughter but due to the racial injustice I personally experienced. As a black woman, each time a black person dies unjustly I am retraumatized and I know the community feels the same. The pain and sorrow of these incidents leave me frustrated, speechless, and with a heavy heart.
As an individual and an organization, addressing the grief, anger and the feeling of insecurity after community violence is incredibly difficult. The community trauma we’re all experiencing after the death of Mr. George Floyd is very real.
Protecting our mental health during a time like this is essential – we’ve experienced a devastating loss, witnessed terrible violence and let’s not forget, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic.
We have gathered resources that provide helpful information for adults, parents, young people, and those working on the front-line working with those directly impacted. While these resources certainly do not sufficiently address the trauma we’re experiencing, they do give us some helpful tools to start the process.
Resources can be found here: https://bit.ly/2XN6CFJ
Stay home and please stay safe.
Shawntan Howell, Girls Are Powerful Founder and CEO
