Broken Silence

Jul 19

BY KISHARA JOY GRIFFIN, MSW

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month! With that said, it’s time to disrupt the silence around historical/generational trauma. In the book, My Grandmother’s Hands, author Resmaa Menakem mentions trauma as being “routinely passed on from person to person — and generation to generation — through genetics, culture, family structures, and the biochemistry of the egg, sperm and womb”; he then goes on to say, “trauma is literally in our blood” (Menakem, 2017, p. 25). Additionally, Resmaa urges readers to adopt a new lens on how to heal from generational/historical trauma through the practice of bringing awareness to the triggers and trauma responses located in one's body. In doing so, finding ways to “metabolize” the trauma eventually works through the identified trauma pains to find healing and growth. This approach to responding to individual and historical trauma is described as “clean pain” (Menakem, 2017, p. 26). Moreover, as BIPOC folx, our histories are seen as nuanced, and the weight of our generational traumas impact us as individuals in some regard. Nevertheless, with these historical traumas forcefully woven into the fabric of American culture and our bodies, it gives leeway for individuals, groups, and institutions to choose “dirty pain” (Menakem, 2017, p. 26), which are the choices determined from the less healing ways we respond to trauma. Reema then acknowledges that trauma lives in the body for all, and additionally, so does resilience.

I have noticed this tenacity founded within marginalized groups is often credited to resilience, the ability to bounce back from difficult events and having the capacity to long suffer. However, I would like to highlight that this “resilience” has only been made possible through courage. Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one [a person]. As People of Color, the chips have been stacked against us from the BEGINNING of American HISTORY; however, we did not waver in the face of the impossible, and as of today, WE HOLD this courage whenever we consciously make the decision to simply exist.

Having this courage to exist provides us with the breath needed to breathe life into the future. Recent mental health statistics reflect BIPOC individuals being at greater risk of suffering from mental illness because we are subjected to microaggressions and oppressive systems (MentalHealthAmerica.org, 2023). Research also suggests the following: The American population is growing to be more diverse with more Americans identifying to be a Person of Color (United States Census Bureau, 2021). With this being a statistical fact, my hope is that our institutions lean into the ideals of equity and inclusion to promote a healthier sense of well-being for People of Color in America.

This moment of Broken Silence is for BIPOC folx flexing the courage needed to LIVE fully. We are breaking the silence about historical/generational trauma for BIPOC parents who are nurturing families in this uncertain climate of racialized tensions! This moment of Broken Silence is for BIPOC folx who are graciously existing in a society where white folx pussyfoot around healing the racial and socioeconomic disparities, in a country, that is ever dependent on the commodified labor of our bodies. This moment of BROKEN Silence is for the BIPOC YOUTH just trying to figure it out!

For BIPOC folx, we are not only interconnected through our traumas imposed on us by oppressive systems and white male dominance within these systems, but through the ancestral courage carried into our present. This moment of Broken Silence is a CRY to amplify the warmth of our courage that is slowly burning within each stride towards justice and wellness.

So, for this BIPOC MENTAL HEALTH Month, let us stay connected and grounded in the courage we all hold; LET'S take up space and live aloud with the identities that emphasize this courage. Like trauma, courage is in our blood; let’s tap into it to allow our healed trauma to become the nurturing touch needed for the next generation of BIPOC identifying beings!

Silence Broken!

Learn more about the Sister Circle program and how you can participate in this year's Challenge Into Change.

Kishara Joy Griffin, MSW, (she/her) is a therapist for the Sister Circle program who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and minor in sociology from the University of Maine Farmington. She later received her master’s degree in social work from Boston University. Kishara is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). She is passionate about social equity, woman empowerment, and navigating religious trauma. Kishara encourages individual and collective healing through sustaining safe, judgement-free, therapeutic spaces for clients.