In honor of Juneteenth, a list of resources for anti-racism and more

By Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP

Today is Juneteenth, which celebrates the day in 1865 when enslaved black people in the United States won their freedom after centuries of uprisings and struggle. It is also a time to look more deeply into our nation's history. 

In these times, we are invited into challenging conversations about racism and white privilege and how they impact our lives, the health of our communities and the structure of our society.

As a white human, a psychotherapist and an educator, I am committed to not only speaking out for justice and equality but also to examine my own hidden prejudices and blind spots, and I am encouraging others to examine their own.

To this effort, I am also committed to sharing resources and teaching about inter-generational trauma and collective trauma, as well as important ways that we can address and heal people and the society that people live in.

Here is my current list for you:

• A video on Racism, Family Secrets and the African American Experience, free of charge until July 31. In this powerful interview with Monica McGoldrick, MSW, Elaine Pinderhughes, MSW, discusses her genealogical research into her family and her efforts to confront and transcend the lies and secrets passed down across generations. Find the video here.
• A free online CE class Lifting Black Voices: Therapy, Trust, and Racial Trauma, sponsored by Clearly Clinical. You can find this panel discussion about trans-generational racial trauma and its impact on therapeutic trust here.
• A free online CE class Hey, White Therapist, Here's Where We Start, which offers practical and compassionate guidance for white therapists wanting to be more effective in their work with people of color. Find it here.
• The Psychotherapy Networker and PESI Training offers two free online conversations on Racial Injustice and Trauma: How Therapists Can Respond. The videos feature leading African American voices in the fields of counseling, yoga, teaching and family therapy. Watch the videos here.
• Damon Brown, journalist and TEDx presenter, writes a powerful article on black fathers and mental health Black Dads Need Therapy. They’re Not Getting It (and tells his own story of his psychotherapy experience) here.
• Multiple resources at Black Life Matters, which includes a collection of anti-racism resources for social workers and psychotherapists, plus general resources for people of color here.
• ​White Therapists, Here’s What Your Black Colleagues Want You to Know, an article complied by two psychotherapists of color who founded the Facebook group Clinicians of Color, now with more than 12,000 members. Read article here.
• A free PDF e-book titled From Enforcers to Guardians: A Public Health Primer on Ending Police Violence, looking at police brutality and racism from a public health perspective here.
• Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism, offers a free list of resources for teachers, parents, activists and others called a White Fragility Readers Guide here.
• The group Coming to the Table provides leadership, resources, and a supportive environment for all who wish to acknowledge and heal wounds from racism that is rooted in the United States’ history of slavery. Find more here.

In the works

In addition, watch for my upcoming blog about Decolonizing Psychotherapy, where I’m curating a collection of additional resources for mental health professionals, educators and others.

I’m looking at **designing a training program or two** on combating structural racism from a white privileged perspective, but I want to do it thoughtfully – as you can see, there are lots if information available. If you are interested in such a course, please let me know here about what is of most interest to you.