The traumatic effects of systemic racism have a way of hiding in plain sight, allowing their impact to deepen and ripple through individuals, families, and communities. Whether those effects be health disparities or heightened violence, the scars they leave on the souls of youth and adults of color manifest in myriad ways. In youth, sometimes they can appear as low self-efficacy and inability to see one's potential for greatness. And sometimes the wounds carry into adulthood, and reemerge as those who work with traumatized young people experience secondary trauma themselves.
However, racial healing through culturally relevant clinical care can be an antidote. Such is the case with Franklin, a Boston youth worker and longtime client of Trinity Boston Counseling Center (TBCC). His path to healing intersected with TBCC as a teen, traumatized and grieving from the untimely losses of family members and a friend due to the effects of systemic racism.
He didn't believe he would attend college, yet with the support of a healing community, every day, he built resilience and a sense of agency. Those healing attributes propelled him on a journey that led to his recent graduation from UMass Boston with a Master's Degree in Urban Planning.
Franklin remains connected to our clinical services today as a youth worker in the city. Listen to how TBCC guided Franklin’s healing journey. His story is one of one. But you can help us ensure that this story of healing becomes one of many.
