Black History Month is a time to reflect upon the collective story of people of African-descent and our contribution to the making of this democratic republic. We celebrate the courage and sacrifice of the ancestors who broke the chains of oppression. We stand on their shoulders and with pride assume the responsibility of the inheritance of their legacy.
Our ancestors survived many things, among them- slavery, a Civil War, lynching, a Great Depression, Jim Crow and segregation. Many African Americans today are far too vulnerable to many personal, familial and community risks that are residuals of our historical enslavement. Racism and oppression have their roots in chattel slavery and remain a pernicious residual threat to the personal and collective wellbeing of African Americans today.
The ability to meet threat head on and to overcome it is what resilience theory is all about. What are the protective factors for African Americans, their families and community that help to fend off threats? What do you think they are?
Our resilience is rooted in our historical enslavement too! Do not just take my word for it, read the actual words of the last living slaves in America as they told their personal narrative to agents of the Work Progress Administration between 1936-1938:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
Their resilience, our inherited resilience comes shining though!
If you want to learn about historical African American Resilience as deduced from a study using a sample of the WPA Narratives, join me for the discussion on Tuesday May 5th at 9:30am at the NASW-NJ Annual Conference.
Submitted by
Barbara E. Milton, II, PhD Candidate, LCSW, C-ACYFSW
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1 comment:
Thanks, Barbara, for your remarks ~~ and especially for the link to the website. Fascinating personal reports there. Glad you'll be at the Conference ~~ a great opportunity for continuing the dialogue.
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