Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Did you know that the NADA acupuncture protocol for PTSD and addiction was popularized by the Black Panthers during King's day and as part of the Civil Rights movement?
I truly believe that in order for genuine healing to happen on the individual level, it must also happen at the community and societal level as well. As long as certain groups of people are treated as less valuable than others, oppression will show up as mental, emotional, spiritual and physical pathologies. How many patients who come through the doors of this clinic are survivors of sexual assault and harassment, women whose complaints have been dismissed by their western doctors, people with very little money trying their best to get some form of health care? The majority of MCA's patients come in for anxiety, insomnia, depression, and PTSD, with the next largest percentage being patients with chronic pain. All of these pathologies are rampant among communities of color, as they are a natural, common, and direct response to systemic racism and any form of oppression (sexism, classism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, etc.)
Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy and take a look at where our country is at currently. Perhaps the arc of the universe DOES bend toward justice, yet all of us together make up that very arc. Today, please take a moment to hear Dr. King's words and consider ways in which you personally can take action to assist marginalized communities, particularly black communities. Are there organizations you would like to donate to that fund Black Lives Matter events, offer low income housing to communities of color, empower black youth, fund scholarships for promising black students, offer health care to black communities, focus on racial understanding trainings for police officers? What would you, personally, like to see change for the better for African Americans? How can you personally help to affect this change?
What books by black authors do you want to read, films by black directors do you want to watch? Which black artists would you like to support?
Our country is made up of each and every one of its citizens and it is ultimately up to each and every one of us to create the change we want to see in the world. In honor of Dr. King, and every other black American that has been unjustly assassinated in our country, let us all step up and step into creating a more racially just world for us all. It will take a very long time to achieve true equality. There is no greater time to begin such a task than the present.
Thank you all so very much. I wish you warmth in your hearts, your homes and your spirits today and every day.
All the Best,
Lara Foy
