During this conversation, Erica Ford asked me, "How Do You Heal in the Midst of Trauma?" Typically, the process of healing from trauma begins after the situation has passed. However, research shows that most Black African American descendants of slaves have experienced a lifetime of trauma due to what Dr. Joy DeGruy has identified as post-traumatic slave syndrome and ongoing systemic racism, with 1 in 3 suffering from some form of PTSD due to cumulative stress.Ironically, while we work on healing from generational traumas of the past, we are simultaneously at risk of being re-traumatized by the extreme acts of violence we are constantly witnessing and experiencing on a daily basis, whether on social media, on the news or in the streets..This constant state of mental and emotional stress keeps the blood and body acidic, causing many of the pre-existing conditions which led to the highest rates of Coronavirus-related deaths in the Black community.Now more than ever, it is imperative to exercise daily practices to prevent cumulative stress and continue to break deeper generational cycles of trauma at the cellular level, so that we can restore and sustain mental/emotional wellbeing.

The soul has no secret that the behavior does not reveal…" Lao Tzu

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LIFE Camp Mission Statement:

LIFE Camp protects our community through outreach, intervention and engagement.We provide youth and families that have been impacted by violence the valuable tools they need to stay in school and out of the criminal justice system. We provide programs and other holistic approaches to reinforce self-esteem and respect for life among one another and also connect and mobilize youth to prevent and heal from violence in New York City's most underserved communities.

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