UWT Huskies Caring for One Another Amid the Chauvin Trial and What is Next

Our nation and our UWT community continues to grapple with the ongoing trauma and pain of systemic racism. Many of us have been closely following the Chauvin Trial and feeling traumatized by watching testimony and rewatching videos of George Floyd’s death. This past year, students, staff, and faculty have voiced feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, and frustration over a system that continues to allow this violence to happen — most recently resulting in the senseless deaths of Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright. There is no doubt that as difficult as this has been, it has been even more so for our African American and Latinx students, staff, faculty, neighbors, friends, and family.

Now that Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts, many of us feel relief, but not celebration. We are reminded that we have not “reached our destination of racial reckoning” (Eugene Robinson) and that “justice is a practice, not an end” (Eddie S. Glaude Jr, Ph.D.). This will continue to be emotionally taxing for many.

To everyone affected by social injustices, especially the members of the Black, African, African-American, and Latinx communities: UWT Psychological & Wellness Services will continue to work against racial injustice. We realize that our anger, fear, and sadness regarding the violence of racism, both recently, and throughout history, MUST be channeled into continuing to support the UWT community and our students. Our work welcomes all experiences and feelings in response to these repeated individual and societal traumas and we will collectively work to do better in supporting you with compassion and humility.

Self Care Resources

FamilyCare, CommunityCare and SelfCare Tool Kit: Healing in the Face of Cultural Trauma (Association for Black Psychologists)

https://www.abpsi.org/pdf/FamilyCommunitySelfCareToolKit.pdf

Coping with Grief After Community Violence (SAMHSA)

https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma14-4888.pdf

Tips for Self-Care: When Police Brutality Has You Questioning Humanity and Social Media Is Enough (The Root)

https://www.theroot.com/tips-for-self-care-when-police-brutality-has-you-quest-1790855952

Emotionally Restorative Self Care: People of Color - Black People - African Americans

https://youtu.be/GuLT_YQLGF8

Self-Care Tips for Black People Who Are Really Going Through It Right Now

https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5pgmq/self-care-tips-for-black-people-struggling-from-painful-week

Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma