Alex Maddox, MA – Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 141737)
| When I was in elementary school, we were often assigned projects to research various historical figures. Without fail, I would respond by launching a quest to find and learn about a unique Black historical figure. There were several reasons for this. For starters, I have and always will be a lover of history. History is always filled with drama, intrigue, wonder and horror, as well as billions of individual lives and stories stretching back to eternity. Secondly, and perhaps more poignantly, I was one of very few Black children at my school. The history we learned year-round was that of my white classmates. My cultural history was relegated to the shortest month of the year. February was spent quickly hopping from slavery to the American Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, and neatly wrapped up with the caveat that racism was done and over. While I appreciated the lessons, I did not appreciate the inevitable awkward glances from classmates, or feeling as though I was under a spotlight when darker and more painful subjects came up. Most importantly, I knew that there were fascinating and heroic Black Americans beyond Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks. I also knew that Black history was so much richer and fuller than slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. So I embarked on my search, and learned about extraordinary Black people such as Mary McCloud Bethune, Matthew Henson, and Bayard Rustin. Through this research, I developed increased pride, joy, and curiosity about my heritage. As an adult, I continue that same tradition of researching and celebrating lesser-known Black heroes. Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a treatment designed to help people regulate their emotions and build a life worth living even in the midst of immense suffering. In DBT, there is a skill called Accumulating Positive Emotions. Accumulating Positive Emotions is a way to increase positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions while navigating life’s challenges and struggles. Conversations in America about Black people focus primarily on suffering and oppression. These conversations are critical, and only by acknowledging issues such as systemic racism, police brutality, and other current and historical wrongs, can we address the problems that plague and harm the Black community. Equally important, though, is the need to acknowledge and celebrate the vast richness and resilience of Black people. Finding Black joy is a way to practice the skill of Accumulating Positive Emotions and to fortify resilience in the face of pain, suffering and oppression. So this Black History Month, I encourage you to do the same. 1. Seek out ways to celebrate and champion Black history, people and cultures. 2. Research lesser-known Black people. 3. Try food at a local Black restaurant. 4. Uplift the Black people in your life. 5. Donate to organizations that work towards supporting Black wellness and growth such as Therapy for Black Girls, Black Girls Smile or GoodKids MadCity. A dialectic is two seemingly opposite ideas that are both simultaneously true. The Black experience, indeed the human experience, is that of pleasure and pain, sorrow and joy. Given the horrific events of the last two years and issues magnified, it is more important than ever to move to the other side of the dialectic. I hope you carry that duality not just during Black History Month 2022, but beyond. |