I have a quilt, it’s not the fanciest. The quilt work is shabby at best, the edges of woven together material are frayed at the edges due to wear and tear, but the material that holds together that fabric is made of clothing from my mother’s closet. And on the most weary of days, when I can barely keep my eyes open or when a cold shiver runs down my spine as I watch the news casually report another senseless death of unarmed Black man or the shooting of a Black teenager who will never see their 21st birthday, or when I find myself having to comfort a mother who has lost her second son to gun violence, the quilt is my solace, my comfort and salvation, reminding me that I am supported and protected. This idea of woven fabric got me thinking. I began thinking about when, how and to what degree do we provide shelter to some of our most vulnerable. What ways do we make them feel safe, supported, protected and cared for? We need only examine the reception to painful yet peaceful protests following the murders of Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Ezell Ford, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and Stephon Clark to name a few or the treatment of the assailant in the Charleston Church Shooting in juxtaposition to the national platform afforded to the survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing, Las Vegas, and Parkland High.
A fundamental cognitive bias exists when it comes to the manner in which we treat survivors of homicide violence vs. survivors of mass shootings. One group’s pain, anger and anguish is validated and supported on a national scale while the other group is met with tear gas and armed guards attempting to silence and discredit their anger, their disappointment, and disenfranchise their grief.
What we need to understand is that our implicitly biased responses to survivors of homicide victims based on race ultimately contributes to a legacy of chronic victimization, repuncturering wounds with bullets of bigotry exacerbating the grief and bereavement experience. Assisting survivors of homicide victims requires us to collectively weave a quilt threaded with structural equity designed to protect, serve and blanket us all. When people are treated without dignity and respect before and after the murder of a loved one, the cycle of violence and victimization will continue. We need dialogue, grief and bereavement training, and continual coping and support for teachers, police, and faith-based communities that is inclusive and culturally responsive to individuals who are survivors of homicide violence.
Additional Resources:
A fundamental cognitive bias exists when it comes to the manner in which we treat survivors of homicide violence vs. survivors of mass shootings. One group’s pain, anger and anguish is validated and supported on a national scale while the other group is met with tear gas and armed guards attempting to silence and discredit their anger, their disappointment, and disenfranchise their grief.
What we need to understand is that our implicitly biased responses to survivors of homicide victims based on race ultimately contributes to a legacy of chronic victimization, repuncturering wounds with bullets of bigotry exacerbating the grief and bereavement experience. Assisting survivors of homicide victims requires us to collectively weave a quilt threaded with structural equity designed to protect, serve and blanket us all. When people are treated without dignity and respect before and after the murder of a loved one, the cycle of violence and victimization will continue. We need dialogue, grief and bereavement training, and continual coping and support for teachers, police, and faith-based communities that is inclusive and culturally responsive to individuals who are survivors of homicide violence.
Additional Resources:
- Why It Hurts When the World Loves Everyone but Us
- Parkland is Sparking a Difficult Conversation About Race, Trauma, and Public Support: A Question of the Activism We Acknowledge and the Activism We Ignore
- We Need To Talk About Black Lives And Gun Violence After The Florida Shooting