Practices such as tai chi, yoga and meditation can help people bring about inner calm. An APHA 2021 session talked about these and other ways social justice advocates can relieve stress.
Photo by Kali9, courtesy iStockphoto
Ericka Jenkins’ life unraveled in 1969. She and her husband, John Huggins, were leaders of the Black Panther Party and under government surveillance. Huggins was assassinated that year, and Jenkins was jailed pending trial on charges that could keep her behind bars for decades. But she was acquitted of all charges in 1971 after two years in solitary confinement.
Jenkins, a lifetime social justice advocate who went on to become a professor and lecturer, shared her insights on resiliency during an anti-racism workshop in October. Hosted by the Public Health Nursing Section and held in conjunction with APHA’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo, the workshop explored self-care strategies for people who are working to fight racism.
Having a well-adjusted inner life is important for everyone, including people who work for social justice and health equity. Those who fight racism can experience burnout, stress, disillusion and even ancestral guilt, speakers at the sixth annual workshop said.
Jenkins had plenty of reasons to be despondent as she sat in solitary confinement. Her husband of two years was dead, she was separated from her daughter — whom she could see for only one hour each week — and she faced the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison. Jenkins was also at the mercy of a legal system marred by systemic racism and hostile to the Black Panther Party.
On top of that, Jenkins was still enduring psychological suffering from years of abuse growing up in a family that struggled with alcoholism. Jenkins said she kept her mental health strong through yoga and meditation practice.
“I noticed that by sitting still and breathing that I was good, that I am whole, that I am not broken,” Jenkins said. “I learned I could go in and visit my daughter for an hour and be fully present. Human beings are wired for harmony, and I was experiencing it.”
Nikki Skies, MA, a poet, playwright and social justice advocate, said that writing has helped her be resilient in the face of racism. Other creative endeavors such as painting, arts and crafts, music, and dance can ease the tension, frustration and setbacks that can come with racial justice advocacy, Skies said. And socializing with like-minded people dedicated to racial equality show advocates they are not alone in their pursuits.
Victor Schoenbach, PhD, a professor emeritus in the epidemiology department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, led a breakout group for racial justice allies. Schoenbach, an APHA member, acknowledged that the fact he is a white man from a family of influence benefited his academic career and other opportunities in life.
Several people in the breakout group spoke about the self-reproach they felt over white privilege, with one calling it “survivor’s guilt.”
Attendee Diedra “DD” Artis, who is Black and works in the entertainment industry, advised the group to let it go.
“The act of taking time out of life and looking at others’ plights and having empathy and wanting to make a difference is a beautiful thing,” Artis said. “So I just wanted to thank you all for your hard work and for being there.”
For anti-racism tools, visit APHA’s website at www.apha.org/racism.
A version of this story was published on APHA’s Annual Meeting Blog.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
