Black people stand on the shoulders of their ancestors and come from Kings and Queens; yet somewhere along the line, some have lost sight of our strengths and our gifts as it relates to the impact of alcohol and other drug on our health, our mind, and our spirit.
This is a fight we can’t lose. On June 8-10, 2022, the Massachusetts Black Alcohol and Addictions Council, (MBAC) a chapter of the National office, will host a Black Addiction Institute, (BAI), at Roxbury Community College from 9:00-4:00.
This unique Institute brings together National and local speakers across disciplines, Judges, recovery coaches, physicians, dentists, psychiatrists, substance use disorder and mental health professionals as well as people with lived experience, reentry, exonerees, youth, and families from the Black community, to educate and learn from individuals from a cultural and racial perspective as to our needs and what works for us, from our perspective.
The Institute provides a holistic, generational perspective from 15 to 80. The BAI founder, Dr, Frances L. Brisbane, former Dean of Social work at SUNY Stonybrook University, and the current Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for workforce development will be honored at this event.
The National Black Alcoholism and Addiction Council has been formally in existence since 1981 and has provided a venue of leadership for the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse, substance use disorders, mental health, youth, criminal justice, and HIV/AIDS in Black people.
NBAC is based in Minnesota and has served as a preeminent leader in providing training for individuals and organizations working with People of African ancestry. Successful outreach to the Black community has been lacking, and clients in need of services, including our veterans with a focus on marginalized and disenfranchised people is our priority.
With COVID the Black community has suffered greatly, loss of lives, fragmented families, loss of income, trauma, and the increase of violence in our youth and young adults, which has resulted in more of our people dying.
Massachusetts was identified as one of four states with the highest rate of opioid deaths with those deaths being in the Black and Brown community, while rates are decreasing with other groups.
The “lack of discussion of Black overdose deaths in the national opioid discourse further marginalizes Black people and is highly consistent with a history of framing the addictions of people of color as deserving of criminal punishment, rather than worthy of medical treatment” (James, K. and Jordan, A. 2020). The BAI is designed to address these issues, across various venues.
As a consultant and coordinator of the BAI, my role is to empower committee members to look at the facts of the impact of substance misuse specifically on communities of African ancestry, nationally and locally.
Identify National speakers to provide support, and empower members to collect more facts, specific to their area of expertise, so as they move forward with sustaining their programs in their work or organization, they can use this information as a base to access funding specific to their individual and organizational needs.
The disproportionality as it relates to the impact of COVID and Opioids on our community is disheartening, while it is currently presented as a crisis this has been a crisis in the Black community for years but clearly left untreated.
We further explore at the BAI how racism has impacted Black people’s overall health especially as it relates to trauma, family disruption, and mental health, research and articles were provided to the MBAC committee, further demonstrating that racism is real,(which we as black people experience daily and already know ) that it is not rhetoric, but fact. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), in their apology letter NOW admit racism’s impact on Black people’s mental health and health. Too little too late?
The BAI is SOLUTION FOCUSED, not blaming, but an opportunity to network, learn from your peers, and affirm some of the challenges people of African ancestry face in the workplace, treatment, and prevention while educating others, as to the critical importance of having Black representation from people who are formerly incarcerated, have lived experiences, therapist, teachers, alcohol and drug abuse professionals, psychiatrist, and physicians in the decision making to best serve OUR community.
The last day of the BAI closes with Soulful Conversations, where individuals can suggest priorities and next steps. The BAI is “good trouble”, we hope to see you June 8-10 at Roxbury Community College.
Susan James-Andrews is President of James-Andrews & Associates, a training and Consulting organization, a Black woman-owned business based in Maryland.
She serves as a subject matter expert, consultant, and technical assistance provider for various Federal State, Universities, and public and private agencies.
She is the conference administrator for the Counseling and Treating People of Colour Conference: An International Perspective. Sjamand10@gmail.com
