Historical Trauma The Impact on Communities of Color This presentation was produced by the Vera Institute of Justice under Award # 2016-XV-GX-K015, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The National Resource Center for Reaching Victims Logo Workshop Objective Ą To understand the history of colonization and the impact on people of color Ą To understand how trauma that in the past still affects people of color today Ą To identify ways to address historical trauma in our service delivery Historical IntergenerationalTrauma ŇAn event or series of events perpetrated against a group of people and their environment, namely people who share a specific group identity with genocidal or ethnocidal intent to systematically eradicate them as a people or eradicate their way of life.Ó Dr. Karina Walters 2012 Chart about Colonization This chart describes how Colonization can lead to loss of hunter-gatherer lifestyle and loss of culture; which can lead to poor nutrition; which can lead to low birth weight, diabetes, melitis, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease; which can lead to cultural genocide and stolen children; which can lead to marginalization from white society, poor communication, and discrimination; which can lead to unemployment, poverty, and poor education; which can lead to alcohol and substance abuse; which can lead to domestic violence, accidents, and deaths in custody. Loss of hunter-gatherer lifestyle and loss of culture also can lead to fixed settlements, fringe camps, and urban ghettos; which can lead to poor housing, poor hygiene, overcrowding, and infectious disease; which can lead to respiratory disease, ear disease, rheumatic heart disease, and renal disease, which led to cultural genocide and stolen children; which can lead to marginalization from white society, poor communication, and discrimination; which can lead to unemployment, poverty, and poor education; which can lead to alcohol and substance abuse; which can lead to domestic violence, accidents, and deaths in custody. Finally, loss of hunter-gatherer lifestyle and loss of culture also can lead to can also lead directly to marginalization from white society, poor communication, and discrimination; which can lead to unemployment, poverty, and poor education; which can lead to alcohol and substance abuse and to domestic violence, accidents, and deaths in custody. Impact of War Chart Genocide includes violence, death, looting, and flight. Aftermath of genocide includes imprisonment, reparation payments, memorialization, exile, and relocation. Genocide and its aftermath's indirect pathways of transmission include: economic downfall, increased family burden, diminished productivity, social exclusion, family conflict, and compromised parenting. Genocide and its aftermathŐs direct pathways of transmission include conversations, silence, and proximity/closeness. Both the indirect and direct pathways of transmission lead to the current situation, which includes: economic disadvantage, extra household responsibilities, experiences of regret, feeling hurt, getting caught in family conflict, and social exclusion. 5 How Do These Affect: Ą Native Americans? Ą African Americans? Ą Holocaust survivors? Ą Japanese internment survivors? Ą Hispanics/Latinos? Ą Asians? Ą War refugees? Ą Families experiencing intergenerational poverty? Manifestations May Include: Ą Mistrust of health care, legal, and educational systems Ą Higher rates of risk behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse Ą Mental heath issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide Ą Violent behavior, homicide, and domestic violence Ą Higher rates of chronic diseases Historical Trauma Ą Historical trauma is the cumulative exposure to traumatic events that not only affect the individual exposed, but continue to affect subsequent generations Ą The untreated trauma in the parent is passed on to the child through the attachment process and implicit or explicit message about the world (i.e., relationship to self, safety) Trauma Subtypes Ą Cultural trauma is an attack on the fabric of a society, affecting the essence of the community and its members Ą Historical trauma is the cumulative exposure of traumatic events that affect an individual and continues to affect subsequent generations Ą Intergenerational trauma occurs when trauma is not resolved, subsequently internalized, and passed from one generation to the next Ą Present trauma is what today's youth are experiencing on a daily basis We blame youth for showing the symptoms of trying to survive in the violent world us adults fail to change for themÓ Jeremy NeVilles-Sorell Trauma may result from: Ą A direct, personal experience of an event Ą Witnessing an event Ą Learning about an event Ą Being threatened with death Ą Experiencing serious injury of self Ą Experiencing threat to one's physical integrity Ą The death, threat of death, serious injury, threat to physical injury of another Some cautions about the concept Ą It is NOT culturally safe to assume that everyone within a group or community or family has been impacted by historical trauma, or by the same experiences as others Ą Can overlook resilience, strength and persistence of culture in Individuals and communities Ą The idea of intergenerational trauma can pathologize certain parenting practices, particularly around corporal punishment Sometimes violence was used as a protective factor Ą Harsh punishment of kids because they would be lynched if they acted up Ą Parents rather be the ones to issue corporal punishment Đ sign of ŇloveÓ Ą Aligning behaviors and actions with those with the power was for survival Individual and social pathology Ą Individual pathology is a term used to refer to biological or psychological explanations of criminal or deviant behavior by individuals. Ą Social pathology is a term used to describe social factors, such as poverty, old age or crime that bolster social disorganization. At the same time, the term refers to the study of these factors and the social problems they may lead to. History over pathology ŇBehavior was adapted to what was happening at the time, now itŐs become maladaptive. Beatings were supposed to save lives. I canŐt tell you why you canŐt go outside at night, because people wanted to hang you.Ó Sam Simmons WhatŐs the Impact on Us Today? Empty Table to complete: Column 1: Individual (how it affects you personally) Column 2: Family (what my relatives do) Column 3: Community (where we live and what is happening) Column 4: Society (us as a people) Individual Family Community Society (how it affects you personally) (what my relatives do) (where we live and what is happening) (us as a people) History is Not in the Past Ą ŇStop blaming me for what happened in the pastÓ Ą ŇYou need to get over it/move onÓ Ą ŇWell, thatŐs my opinion so letŐs agree to disagreeÓ Ą ŇBut America is one big melting potÓ Ą ŇBut what about black-on-black crime?Ó Ą ŇWhy must you always be the victim?Ó Trauma Affects where we start Indicators measuring life course socioeconomic position Childhood: Parents education, parentsŐ occupation, household income, household conditions Young Adulthood: Education Active Professional Life: First Employment, Income, household conditions, assets transfer occurring when starting a family Later in Active Professional Life: Occupation- first, last, longest; housewife; unemployment-yes/no, number of episodes; income changes over time; wealth and deprivation changes over time; household conditions change over time; partner's SEP Retirement: household income, wealth and deprivation, household conditions, assets transfer across generations occurring at death Examples of indicators measuring life course socioeconomic position (Galobardes et al, 2006) ACEs: The 10 Areas of Trauma 1. Psychological Abuse 2. Physical Abuse 3. Sexual Abuse 4. Emotional Neglect 5. Physical Neglect 6. Loss of a Parent (for any reason) 7. Mother Treated Violently 8. Substance Abuse 9. Mental Illness 10. Criminal Behavior in the Household The questions are described on the ACE website www.acestudy.com Trickle Down Affect Trauma Transmission Infographic Intergenerational Transmission: exposure leads to changes in phenotype in children Multigenerational Transmission: Exposure leads to changes in phenotype in children and grandchildren Transgenerational Transmission: exposure leads to changes in phenotype in children, grandchildren, and subsequent generations to exposed initial insult. The "genotype" is the genetic makeup of an organism, the phenotype is how genetic and environmental influences come together to create an organismŐs physical appearance and behavior. Institutional Responses People going into a funnel and coming out the other end with the message: No matter what you look like coming in... the desired outcome is the same. 20 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care The 6 principles of trauma-informed care from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 1. Safety 2. Trustworthiness and Transparency 3. Peer Support 4. Collaboration and mutuality 5. Empowerment, voice, and choice 6. Cultural, Historical, and gender issues Addressing Historical Trauma Spiral Model of trauma, explained in captioned text. Spiral Model: 1. Start with peopleŐs experience; 2. Look for patterns; 3. Add new information and theory; 4. Practice skills, strategize, and plan for action; 5. Apply in action Conclusion Ą What was frustrating? Ą What was validating? Ą How will this change how you work with boys and men of color? Ą Additional comments or questions