[ad_1]
I remember the day when my family pushed me open the window, the sound of broken glass broke our complacency. As middle school students, both of us were accustomed to physical violence and fighting viciously, which often made me feel bruised.
The language of #MeToo运动 helped me understand that the sexual trauma I suffered in childhood is another form of violence. The adults in my life did not force themselves, but often masturbated in front of me. Given my limited knowledge of the abuser’s motives and mental status, as an 11-year-old child, I can only infer everything I deserve. I thought as long as I was stronger, I could stop everything. I could have won the hand-to-hand combat with the physical abuser, and I could have told the abuser for life “No, this is wrong.”
However, deprived children cannot be used to compete with powerful abusers, and black American parents cannot be used to cope with the limited access to mental health services in family life. The lack of opportunities for these services hinders their ability to protect their children from domestic and social violence without government intervention.
In March, progressive members of the U.S. Congress introduced a bill aimed at creating medical insurance for everyone, which is a broad government-run medical insurance plan. Although efforts to pass such legislation continue, Congress’ support for universal health care has not yet been institutionalized.
However, if medical insurance is not implemented for everyone, it may perpetuate untreated mental conditions, which is related to the disproportionate abuse of black children.
As a 36-year-old black female sociologist, I have been learning how to integrate traumatic experiences into my life as a writer, anti-racism coach and social justice advocate for the past three years. However, for most of my adult life, I was unable to obtain insurance that would enable licensed medical institutions to provide high-quality mental health services. When I grow up, I believe that my wounds can be healed through church books and self-help books. Given that there are no instances of trauma victims who have been able to obtain permission to help resources or opinions in my life, I see that people I love are working hard to prevent their traumatic experiences from destroying their relationships and life opportunities.
Once the high-paying job provides me with quality mental health care, I will be able to get two months of sick leave, life guidance, psychotherapy and creative art therapy on a very rare basis-I have to talk to the therapist every week. Sunday. But it was not until I extended my experience to a wider social context that I began to understand the policy restrictions that made my trauma stories so common, but for black childhood trauma survivors, my recovery stories were so rare.
It is worth noting that research by the American Institute of Mental Health shows that blacks are less likely to suffer from mental illness than whites. Instead, their researchers found that “compared to whites, the historical experiences of black and African Americans in the United States have been and continue to be characterized by trauma and violence, and affect the emotional and mental health of youth and adults.”
According to data from the American Psychological Association (APA), data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows: “In 2005, African Americans lived 7.3 times as many people as high-poverty areas, and almost none of these areas had access to mental health services.” The United States eliminates abuse The 2016 report of the Commission on Child Death and Neglect states: “African-American children account for approximately 16% of the country’s children, but account for 30% of child abuse and neglect deaths.”
Although in the past “poverty culture” scholars believed that black communities were pathologically violent and had no sex, research published by the National Library of Medicine concluded that greater social forces and policies affected the neglect and attack of black children.
Historians have no evidence to support the view that blacks are culturally inclined to build broken houses. Corporal punishment of children existed in pre-colonial African societies, but according to a paper written by Stacy Patton and published by APA: “With colonization, enslavement and genocide violence make the lives of these groups harder and nurturing The behavior of children has also become worse.”
Patton also reflected on his abuse as a black girl when The New York Times chose to “stop beating black children” in 2017. She emphasized that corporal punishment in black families originated from the interpretation of the European Judeo-Christian beliefs: “This is the European concept that children are “naturally guilty” and should be beaten with “corrective rods.” This cruelty is through slavery System, colonialism, and religious indoctrination are emerging in other cultures in an endless stream.”
Black families alone cannot break the cycle created by imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchal society. By definition, this cycle of society is too strong for any group to overcome alone. As I have learned through diligent treatment, not only can I recover from child abuse, I can also say that all black trauma survivors must tell themselves to move on: “This cycle ends with me.”
A new generation of blacks is recovering in a society that denies their complicity in shaping intergenerational trauma. However, the shocking abuse and neglect caused by political indifference will continue until universal health care is implemented, and the U.S. Congress, together with black survivors, said: “This cycle ends with us.”
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
[ad_2]
Source link
