Esther Armah is a self-proclaimed “global black chick”, having spent the majority of her life living between three cities that shaped her identity - London, New York, and Accra. As a young Black girl in London, she remembers being told by a teacher that college wasn’t for her. But Esther challenged this and she pushed through this systemic bias to carve out her own path, eventually becoming a successful journalist before evolving into a pioneering voice in emotional justice.

Today, Esther is the CEO of the Armah Institute of Emotional Justice, a visionary organization that centers emotionality as an integral part in dismantling oppression. It was experiences like coming up as a young reporter at the BBC, covering South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and listening to her own mother’s stories that led Esther to build this idea of emotional justice, and helped fuel her passion to help Black people, particularly women, through the process of racial healing.

In this episode, Esther unpacks her own journey and dives deep into the meaning of emotional justice. We talk about important concepts like “emotional patriarchy”, the critical need for Black women to build a relationship with rest, and Esther breaks down the experiences that shaped her and lead her to where she is today.

Tune into Episode 6 of Black Girl Back Talk and let’s explore the power of emotional justice with Esther Armah.

Some Questions I Ask:

• When you did go to college, did you experience any racial bias there? (10:18)
• How did [systemic racism] lead to your work around emotional justice? (17:11)
• What have you, in some of the stories that women have told you about their experiences, discovered around the impact of those stories? (44:27)
• How can emotional justice be helpful in this political climate? (1:10:32)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Esther’s girlhood and racial bias she experienced at the time and as she grew up (5:00)
• How systemic racism showed up for Esther in her professional life (11:40)
• What the term “emotional patriarchy” means (27:15)
• What the leader vs learner binary is and how it connects to the language of whiteness (33:34)
• What it looks like to “integrate” rest into your day (54:58)

Resources:

• The Armah Institute of Emotional Justice

Connect with Esther Armah:

• LinkedIn

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth King grew up in South Central, Los Angeles with seven siblings in a single-parent household. Her childhood was far from easy, and she was exposed to things that no child should have to experience, forcing Ruth to grow up at a young age.

Fast-forward to today, Ruth is the founder of Mindful of Race Institute as well as an author, educator, and meditation teacher. Ruth’s Mindful of Race Training Program is taught worldwide and offered to organizations, teams, and leaders to help intertwine mindfulness-based principles with racial conditioning and its impact.

In this episode, Ruth breaks down her experience of growing up as a black girl and what events helped shape her into the person she is today. She also breaks down the mindfulness work that she does and explains why it differs from basic racial sensitivity training.

Tune in to Episode 5 of Black Girl Back Talk and let’s get mindful with Ruth King.

Some Questions I Ask:

• So as this little girl growing up in this large family in Los Angeles, what were some of your childhood experiences? [...] When did you experience anything around race? (15:43)
• What was your dream for yourself when you were able to go to school? (22:36)
• Do you ever grow tired or weary of work around racism? (37:54)
• Is there a story, or a tale, or something from your childhood that brings comfort? (50:40)
• Is there an emotion that you wish you didn't have to feel again? (53:41)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• What Ruth’s ‘Brave Space’ work involves (5:30)
• About Ruth’s life growing up (13:01)
• How Ruth felt growing up in a space of constant fear (19:43)
• About Ruth’s spiritual awakening and her journey to start loving herself (28:01)
• Why Ruth believes racism is like heart disease (34:04)
• About mindfulness and what the term means to Ruth (55:45)

Resources:

• Ruth King’s latest book - Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out
• Ruth King’s other books

Connect with Ruth King:

• Website
• Instagram

Let's Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia knew her calling at just eight years old - she wanted to do something to help take-away, or reduce, suffering in this world. Growing up as a black girl in Oregon, a State with deeply racist roots, Dr. Alisha’s struggle shaped the woman she is today and drives the incredibly important work that she does.

It was her calling of tackling suffering that pushed Dr. Alisha to pursue higher education. She received a BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in Urban Studies from Stanford University before gaining her doctorate of medicine from the George Washington University School of Medicine. She is currently the director of trauma-informed treatment, consultation, and outreach at McClean Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Her work centers around the intersection of trauma, addiction, and mental health as well as how systems identify, manage, and distance themselves from trauma. Dr. Alisha has written two books, The Trauma of Racism and Training for Change, and published a myriad of scientific articles on her work.

In this episode, Dr. Alisha talks about her childhood and what it was like to be a young black girl finding her way in the world. We also discuss what led her down the path of psychiatry and trauma, what her work has revealed about human suffering, particularly in black communities, and why it’s essential that changes be made to alleviate trauma and suffering in this world.

Tune in to Episode 4 of Black Girl Back Talk and let’s talk openly and honestly about trauma with Dr. Alisha.

Some Questions I Ask:

• What about racial bias as a girl? Did you have any experience of that? (12:51)
• What took you into college? (21:10)
• Do you have opportunities to talk to children about trauma? (48:07)
• Can you please talk a little bit more about how healing from trauma can occur? (54:17)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About what life was like for Dr. Alisha growing up as a black girl (6:44)
• About what drew Dr. Alisha to psychiatry (24:24)
• What three things Dr. Alisha believes underscore trauma (28:34)
• Why the environment that you procreate in is just as important for your baby as the genes they inherit (37:25)
• Why it’s important for systems in society to change in parallel (50:47)
• Looking back, what Dr. Alisha would say to the younger version of herself (59:55)
• About Dr. Alisha’s books, Training for Change and The Trauma of Racism (1:02:17)

Resources:

Book Training for Change

Book The Trauma of Racism

Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia’s McClean Hospital Profile and PubMed Search

Connect with Dr. Alisha:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Let's Connect:

Website

LinkedIn

Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.