In the context of progress...

In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 speech at Stanford, he expounds on his nonviolent philosophy and methodology. But he also offers a tremendous foundation for clarity coupled with current research, to put the effects of racism in context for today.

I am white and therefore have white relatives and colleagues and friends. Often I watch as it is claimed that racism still exists today, and they bristle with irritation at the recollection of segregated lunch counters, police dogs and fire hoses, Norman Rockwell's depiction of Ruby Bridges... they recognize that and don't see it today and they shake their heads an emphatic "NO"... They do not see it. They cannot afford to see it because tangled not too deeply in the suggestion that racism exists today presumes them in the position of racist. And while they can admit they don't have much experience with people of other races, if they had the capacity to be honest with themselves, they may admit their fear of others. They might say, "I would never do to those people what was done to them in the past", ignorant to the impact of the word "those" in their heartfelt declaration. They might feel the sting of accusation from the voices of history and need to separate themselves from the burn of the ugly faces of racism worn by white teens in black and white photos from an era when the south allowed such ugliness toward others.

What we know today about intergenerational trauma sits quite nicely on the shoulders of this sermon Dr. King gave when he was a mere 38 years old. He spoke from within a time when freedom riders found their end in bus bombings. He spoke within a lifetime that his families lives were threatened, when KKK crosses were burned on his home's lawn. He courageously said the things in this sermon because he knew them to be true among the black community and he knew it wasn't right, but did he have the science to prove what he knew in his heart was happening? Did he fully understand how segregated water fountains may be progress from the slave trade, but that it wasn't enough? Besides in his heart, did he have the psychological understanding that we have today to explain the impact of trauma (like slavery or even still, segregation, and today incarceration) on the black community. And I would venture to say on the human community at large?

If you follow the lineage back far enough of a black family or a white family (and many other races), you will see what today are called ACEs on both sides, for all involved. Adverse Childhood Experiences is a nice name applied to a variety of 10 traumatic experiences that people endure as children - these impact the physical and psychological health of the people who experienced them. These health impacts can greatly diminish the capacity to relate to others, to learn, and to be healthy. ACEs affect us all. We must face ourselves and the trauma that each of us have endured. The offenders are different in our lives, the details vary. But ACES tie the human race together in our tragic inability to care for each other through the ages and I sincerely believe they are the key to begin explaining the day we live in now.

Find your ACE score here: https://www.ncjfcj.org/sites/default/files/Finding%20Your%20ACE%20Score.pdf

I will continue this post later. Once you find your ACE score, send a message to me if you have an interest in more information, and how this affects us all. Also, what do ACEs have to do with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr? Let's tie it all together... together.

In the meantime, be kind. Check your own biases, and make space for people to live as the will. We all carry hardships that others can't see. Trust that.