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My dear Kinship Community,
The theme for BHM 2022? Black Health and Wellness. Take a minute to breathe that in. What does Black Health and Wellness mean to you, as a member of the community, as an ally? What does it mean to your state, your society, your system?
I pondered this question myself - and then it hit me. Armour.
All too often, Black Health and Wellness is about being armed. It's about suiting up to protect yourself against a criminal justice system where 1 in 3 black boys can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. A healthcare system where the BIPOC community persistently experience lower standards of care and have a lower life expectancy. An educational system that is institutionally unequal creating significant disparities in access, resources and opportunities for our children. And a supremacist system that literally has the power to take our breath away.
Our instinct, our survival response, tells us to fight but I challenge you to down tools. Momentarily disarm yourself, create safe spaces to nurture, heal and repair. I invite you to extend those spaces to those that require them and create networks and partnerships that allow you/us to rebuild.
It is imperative to protect your mental and physical health through intentional practice that serves your soul and grants you the energy to move forward. In the words of Audre Lorde, 'caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of physical warfare.'
Wishing you wellness,
Dee x
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