Therapeutic Justice Project: July 2009

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

"Illegal Aliens"

Most of us are, with the exception of Native Americans and Africans forced into this country. Believing in the power of mixed media for education, below are two videos: "The Great Immigration Debate of 1621" and "How to Solve Illegal Immigration" found on YouTube. I am sorry to say that they are not closed captioned and therefore exclude the Deaf.

The first video takes a satirical look at colonialism and tells the story as if people indigenous to this land had the power when Europeans immigrated here. Not only do they tell the story as if Native Americans had the power but also as if the Native Americans ruled like White people do/did.

In the second video (please do not be fooled by the cartoon or the cats) a serious education is offered about what truly happens in this country regarding immigration abuse and all the ways lies are told as if they are the truth. I highly recommend any Pinky Show video.

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth." - Vladimir Lenin

submitted by Anne Phillips

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wise Words

Tim Wise, a white anti-racism activist, wrote an article that was printed in the July, 2009 issue of The Sun. It addresses the myths that racism has been dismantled because of President Barack Obama being elected into office. He speaks to the hegemony and systematic racism that is going strong regardless of a few people of color in leadership positions. He even states an interesting argument, that it is easier to become the president of the United States as an African-American man than to become a CEO of a company, due to the fact that a few white leaders will make that CEO decision and therefore perpetuate systematic racism by choosing fellow white leaders.

One quote I found useful in the article is: "One reason white Americans deny their white privilege is that most people want to believe they are living in a just society. Another is that to acknowledge the truth would call upon us to make some tough changes, and people are afraid to give up their advantage. It can also be psychologically harmful to confront the fact that one is benefitting unfairly from the system."

Tim Wise has a new book out, called Between Barack and a Hard Place: Race and Whiteness in the Age of Obama.

Submitted by Anne Phillips

About Us

Therapeutic Justice Project is a multidisciplinary collective of healers, advocates and activists dedicated to social justice. Our vision is to integrate social justice with health and mental health services at all levels including psychotherapy, service delivery, professional development, community/organizational support, and systemic change. In psychotherapy, our mission is to develop and implement a model that moves clients from unconscious to conscious, from an individual to a societal perspective, from depression and helplessness to activism and empowerment. We also aim to integrate therapeutic healing within social movement work. Socially, our intention is to make systematic change through community organizing, policy change, transformative dialogue, education, and special initiatives.

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Announcements

Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment - now available!!!

The long-awaited book Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment, from Olympia’s Dr. Leticia Nieto, provides a breakthrough in the fields of liberation and cultural studies. It presents a powerful analysis of the psychological dynamics of oppression and privilege, and shows readers how to develop skills to promote social justice. It includes personal stories, exercises, visualizations and poetry. The book has roots in developmental psychology, theater, and liberation pedagogy. It was developed through collaboration among Leticia Nieto, Garth R. Johnson, Liz Goodwin, Margot Boyer, and Laurel Collier Smith. Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment is now available on Amazon.com, and Elliott Bay Books. More information is online at http://www.beyondinclusionbeyondempowerment.com/.

Fremont Community Therapy Project

The Fremont Community Therapy Project, a feminist, multicultural, queer-friendly, trauma-oriented clinic offering high-quality, low-cost psychological services is in need of assistance. While we are open for new assessment requests, we are currently experiencing a huge influx of requests for psychotherapy, to the point where we now have a 12-week wait list for psychotherapy.

We would like to be able to refer folks on this list, if possible, so that people are not stuck waiting for care for three months. Most of the people who seek our services have a complex trauma history. Thus, we are looking for therapists who share our values, and who would be willing to accept the referral of a person who you would see at our fees, which range from 20-45/session. Most of them require a longer-term commitment from a therapist (typically people remain at FCTP for up to four years). If you're willing to accept a referral from us, please contact Laura Brown, FCTP Director, at 206-633-2405 ext 1, or email Laura at lsbrownphd@cs.com.