I am deeply dissapointed with the lack of support and resources for black students at this time.
Social media bombards black students with news of unarmed black men and women murdered by white supremacists. Even if we turn our phones off, it is on television, or someone will ask, “Have you heard?”. The suffering of our people, which is now widely apparent to the entire world, affects black students psychologically in a way that white educators do not understand.
As black people we live in fragments, with slivers of beauty and life which we carve out in a world where we others do not see us as fully human. You can be educated, famous, well-dressed, it does not matter. For some people, our blackness will always make us disposable. And that is a hard truth to live with.
If you are an ally and still don't understand the facade that your black colleagues are putting up, this article explains it.
If this is impacting your mental health, please reach out to someone in the black community, or someone who is an ally. Many black student associations offer peer-to-peer emotional support services if you cannot reach out to a friend. In Ontario, Good to Talk is a free helpline for post-secondary students, which you can also access. Know that not all counsellors have the tools for healing from racial trauma.
This excellent article from the Nappy Head Club offers holistic advice for taking care of yourself: https://medium.com/nappy-head-club/the-four-bodies-a-holistic-toolkit-for-coping-with-racial-trauma-8d15aa55ae06
Dr.Candice Nicole is also offering meditations, for both black people and their allies: http://drcandicenicole.com/2016/07/black-lives-matter-meditation/. These are completely free.
Another resource that I recommend is Liberate Meditation. They offer meditations for the BIPOC community specifically related to our trauma and healing processes. Some meditations are free, and you can also ask for a free membership if you cannot afford to pay for a subscription to access the locked meditations.
The Vilij offers resources for black Womxn, and they have curated some fabulous healing playlists here.
Hill Insider is a black wellness studio which offers live sessions if you DM them in advance for a spot: https://www.instagram.com/hillinsider/?hl=en
If you are looking to hear from other BIPOC folks, check out my favourite podcast, Boarding Diaspora. They did an incredible segment on how to be a genuine ally, and they always do an excellent segment on mental health.
Please take care of yourself first. And remember that you are not alone.