Social Justice and Wellness

Audre Lorde quote
Injustice and trauma take a clear toll on our mental and emotional health.  Here are a few things to keep in mind.
  • Be aware of your mental and emotional health.Exposure to graphic images and hateful speech deeply impacts all of us, especially communities of color who live with these aggressions every day.  Make time to reflect, breathe, journal, or other ways to check in with how you are really doing.  
  • Allow yourself to feel your feelings.  It is normal to experience a range of emotions, most of which are very uncomfortable.  Resist the urge to rush through or numb your feelings, without understanding what they may be saying to you. For minoritized communities, engaging these emotions should be paired with self-nurturing to remind yourself that you have worth and dignity.  For allies of these communities, the challenge is often to stick with difficult feelings despite discomfort.   Use these emotions to motivate yourself toward sustained solidarity, learning, and action.
  • Practice self-care in the midst of whatever engagement, activism or caretaking you take on.   Honor your needs, and prioritize your own well-being.  This can be as basic as making sure you are drinking water, eating regular meals, and getting enough sleep.  It may also mean cultivating ongoing practices of creative expression, mindfulness, or spiritual reflection - whatever keeps you grounded and accessing hope.
  • Moderate your intake of news and social media.  It can be damaging to constantly expose ourselves to violent images, or people whose views threaten our welfare.  Think about how your media intake is affecting you.  Determine what information you need to know because it is actionable, and be aware that taking in too much may deepen trauma and exhaustion.  Make sure that your media diet includes positive individuals and organizations, and sources of reputable information.  Check out this video on doing a .
  • Find your supportive community.  Connect with people who understand how you are feeling because they are going through it, too.  Seek support from elders or mentors who can remind you of the ongoing history of struggle and resistance in which you are taking part.  For allies, process what you are discovering with other allies, to avoid further burdening people of color.
  • Set boundaries.  It can be exhausting to educate others about racism and how it impacts your community.  Allow yourself to choose what conversations you take on, and where you draw limits.  For allies, seek out ways to educate yourself that do not require this emotional labor from people of color.  The Office of Diversity's Anti-Racism Resources is a great place to start.
  • Take action.  Think about how you can affect positive change, however small it might feel. This might mean participating in a protest, writing a letter, donating to a cause you believe in, educating yourself, or having an honest conversation in your circle of influence.
  • Give yourself breaks.  The work of engagement and activism is exhausting.  Allow yourself to choose the times you step in, and to also give yourself permission to say no when you need to.  The burden of challenging injustice does not rest on your shoulders alone.  It is especially important for people of color to remember that their identities encompass more than trauma - connect with your joy, strengths, hope, and passions.

  • - by Dr. Jessica Isom

    - by Zahra Barnes

    Anti-Racism Resources from Cal State East Bay’s Office of Diversity - Resources for education and action

  • Please note that these resources are not associated with Cal State East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services. SHCS does not endorse any particular provider or agency. Descriptions are taken from the resources themselves.

     

    - Mental Health Funds for Black Folks seeking therapy

     - Community Mental Wellness organization focusing on sustaining Black women.  Includes extensive section on Mental Wellness Information and Resources, including ways to start a healing journey, build social support, find services and ways to pay for them, and apps and hotlines that could be helpful.

    - Free meditation app targeted toward Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

    - the Black Emotional and Mental Health collective (BEAM) offers community events, peer support and grants to support Black community wellness.

    - the organization Melanin and Mental Health offers a free podcast about mental health and communities of color.  They also have a list of therapists specializing in work with minoritized communities.

    - Dr. Damon Silas leads a trauma intervention focused on Black, Indigenous, and people of color in this short video

    with Resmaa Menakem (episode of Connectfulness podcast)

    - therapist directory and resources

    - list of therapists who celebrate minoritized identities.  Includes options for free or reduced cost services.

    - Offers referrals to culturally-competent and patient-centered licensed therapists.

  • Please note that these resources are not associated with Cal State East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services. SHCS does not endorse any particular provider or agency. 

    - licensed and supervised pre-licensed counselors volunteer to provide free therapy for undocumented college students in California.

    -  United We Dream's UndocuHealth initiative offers a mental health tool kit, directory of mental health practitioners offering free and reduced fee sessions for immigrants, and webinars.

    - Organized by Immigrants Rising, these six week Wellness Support Groups aim to help undocumented people feel less alone and more understood.

    - Compilation of "the most important and trusted resources for immigrants in the US."

    -a national network and online platform centering the healing of Latinx migrant peoples and movements.  Includes a directory of culturally grounded, Latinx mental health practitioners offering sessions for those in need on a sliding scale.

    - compiled by Sofia Mendoza, LCSW using Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Trauma informed interventions.

    - specific coping strategies from German Cadenas, PhD.

    - a resource from the National Latino/a Psychological Association

    - from the Thrive Center for Human Development.

  • Please note that these resources are not associated with Cal State East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services. SHCS does not endorse any particular provider or agency. 

    Check the Undocumented Resources and Student Wellbeing Services pages on the Cal State East Bay website for a more extensive list.

    - up-to-date information and resources for undocumented immigrants 

     - legal, educational, media, and other resources from TheDream.Us

     - guide to applying for and navigating college

    - Information about higher education for undocumented students, and links to scholarships and resources

  • Resources from Cal State East Bay counselors:

    Coming Out - ,

    Creating an Emotional Safety Plan - ,

    Dealing with Microaggressions - ,

     

    : Hotline (866) 488-7386, or text "START" to 678-678

    The leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people.  Includes call, chat, and text crisis lines, as well as networks for LGBTQ youth community and advocacy.  Also includes a 

      - Includes : (888) 843-4564, and (youth serving youth through age 25): (800) 246-7743.   Both provide a safe, anonymous, and confidential space where callers can speak on many different issues including, but limited to, coming out, gender and/or sexuality identities, relationship concerns, bullying, workplace issues, HIV/AIDS anxiety, safer sex information, suicide, and much more

    : (877) 565-8860 - A trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive.

     - Online peer mental health support, including a portal for LGBTQ+ users.  Includes options for individual chats and daily online support groups.

     - Offers sliding scale counseling, support groups, and safe space for LGBTQ+ people of all ages. 

     - Facebook group.  Ending the isolation of Asian and Pacific Islander families with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members though support, education, and dialog.

     - The East Bay’s most prevalent LGBTQ community center and service provider, this location has plenty of options for support, socializing, and more.

     - Serving the LGBTQ community; provides counseling in Concord and Pittsburg.

     - Connects community members to opportunities, resources, and to each other. 

     - South Bay.  Provides community, leadership, advocacy, services and support to the Silicon Valley’s LGBTQ People and their Allies.  Includes a resource hub, community building events, and advocacy.

     - Coming out resources and a safe place to chat.

     - Nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe.

     - Federally qualified health center providing services to parts of southern Alameda County and Santa Clara County. They have a dedicated program supporting LGBTQIA+ persons.

     - Offers free community events and resources to anyone who needs support in the wake of hard news cycles.

     - Comprehensive resources, education, and support for professionals, families, and communities navigating the complexities of gender identity and expression

  • Please note that these resources are not associated with Cal State East Bay Student Health and Counseling Services. SHCS does not endorse any particular provider or agency. 

    Resources to address violence and hate toward Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in response to racism.

    Resource guide for AAPI college students compiled by the editors of College Consensus.  Includes History Reading Room, Advocacy Resources, and Mental Health resources.

     

    Resource kit from Asian Americans Advancing Justice Coalition (AAJC), including multilingual resources about the coronavirus, resources to address and stand against hatred, bystander intervention guide, media guides, and political action steps.

    Information and resources on hate crimes in the wake of Covid-19 from the National Asian Pacific Bar Association.

    Social media resources to combat stigma and discrimination, from National Council of Asian Pacific Americans