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 | Happy Black History Month! This month at DAP, we celebrate Black leadership, love, innovation, and joy.
This month’s newsletter intends to center the achievements of Black leaders in our community who are working to end domestic and gender-based violence. Take time to slow down, settle in, and read on to learn more about Black love and joy in family systems, community leader Samuel Simmons Jr., intersectionality, representation in media, as well as DAP’s latest updates. |
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|  | | Join Naajee, supervisor of DAP’s Victim Survivor and Youth Programs, as she talks about Black love and joy in the family system, the ways in which Black children lean toward healing and self-expression, and how kids can help us develop the important practice of slowing down. |
|  | “Instead of seeing the kid who stops and blows the dandelion as a nuisance to our destination, which is the car, the more we can see that in those moments that child is trying to teach us all how to slow down, how to notice, and how to be present. We can’t heal when we’re not present in this moment, and with the people that we’re with. If we’re not present in that connection, we’ve missed pieces of the gifts that each of us brings to the space to give to one another. That’s imperative in the Black community—that sense of community and collective and how we each have something to offer, and that offering is never too little or too big.” -Naajee Dennis |
| |  | | Community leader Samuel Simmons Jr. has a long and successful career as a counselor and behavioral consultant and developed and managed a curriculum for African American men and boys aimed at promoting healthy and nonviolent relationships. He recently released a book called: Just Sam: A Black Man’s Journey to Healing and hosts a Community Empowerment Through Black Men Healing Conference. Join Naajee (Victim Survivor and Youth Program Supervisor) and Amirthini (DAP’s Executive Director) in this poignant interview with Sam where he speaks on compassionate accountability, historical trauma, and what steps must be taken to center healing in the Black community. |
|  | “Healing, in the short term, is one of the most painful things under the sun, because now I gotta be fully transparent with myself…and you’ll find that when you get to the other side, you’ll think, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner.’” |
| | | |  | Hindered Help: African American Partner Violence Victims
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|  | Why are Black women 2.5 times more likely to be murdered by their intimate partners than white women?
Why are Black women murdered five years younger than the national average?
Why are Black women more likely to remain with their abusive partner?
“Professor, social worker, and proud African American woman Bernardine Y. Waller asks why black people are so much more likely to experience domestic violence, to stay with abusive partners, and to be murdered by an intimate partner, compared to white people. She discusses the cultural norms in the black community and stereotypical attitudes of law enforcement toward black people that contribute to this disproportionate statistic. Waller outlines the challenges of misunderstandings and a lack of information among emergency shelter workers, medical professionals, and community leaders that result in a deficiency of services and support for African Americans. She calls for a greater understanding from all those in these positions, to stop, ask, think, and listen to enable real support for black abuse victims.” (DVSN)
What if I called the police, and they actually saw me as a vulnerable woman who really needed their protection?
What if I could find shelter in the shelter system—a place where I was valued, understood and fully supported? |
| |  | | | The American Society of Magical Negroes“THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES is a fresh, satirical comedy inspired by the "magical negro" cinematic trope popularized in American cinema and television throughout the 20th Century and first named and criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee...” (Rotten Tomatoes)
Director Kobi Libii does an incredible job at making the non-Black viewer recognize and sit in their own discomfort. The journey of unlearning anti-blackness is ongoing, and this movie will uncover how much learning the viewer has left to do. It accurately, and hauntingly, details the ways in which society is uncomfortable with Black people simply taking up space and existing. In an interview with Variety, Libii had the following to say about the film: |
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| “I came up for air a couple of hours into working on [the film and] realized that really what I was writing about was a very particular defense mechanism that I was taught as a Black man growing up in America, about how to keep myself safe, and how to navigate systemic racism. And that particular defense mechanism was making sure that the powerful white people around me were comfortable.” |
| | Harlem, a hilarious Amazon Original series created by Tracy Oliver, follows the lives of four Black women as they balance their romantic relationships, career ambitions, and friendships with one another. The strong friendships between the main characters Camille, Angie, Quinn, and Tye are an example of Black female community on screen, highlighting the importance in having a group of people to have your back as you navigate the difficulty of seeking healthy romantic connections. The series also shines light on the ongoing issue of gentrification in the borough of Harlem. Harlem is set to premier its final season this year. |
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| |  | Sound Bowl Healing at DAP! |
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| | Did you know that DAP is now implementing Sound Bowl healing? Check out this beautiful set of instruments we were fortunate enough to receive! Healing through sound and vibration is a somatic modality that can help reduce stress and anxiety, promote deep relaxation, support immune health, release physical pain and tension, improve sleep, and balance energy and emotions in the body. We are incredibly grateful to Soul Body Finesse LLC for training our team members on this method and to the Office of Justice Programs as well as The Beim Foundation for making this culturally specific model of healing accessible to the entire community DAP serves, as well as to the DAP team. It’s been two weeks and we have already used this resource many times during team meetings, groups, and individual sessions and can’t wait to continue to share the gift of this resource with our participants!
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|  | |  | DAP envisions a community free of domestic abuse where families experience healthy, safe and equal relationships. Our mission is to build communities free from violence by providing holistic healing for every member of the family.
We are seeking new board members who align with our mission and vision. We are eager to work with folks who are interested in using their voice to be an ambassador for DAP in their communities. We are hoping to engage people from different backgrounds and work experiences to continue to help us ensure access to healing for all.
If interested in joining our board, please reach out to governance@mndap.org for more information. We look forward to having you on our board! |
| |  | | Interested in supporting our work? Click the link below. |
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