The Importance Of Cultural Healing Spaces.

I am so grateful for those who create spaces for melanited /melanated people to heal.

Melanated healing spaces are so important, and it is equally important to support melanated healing spaces.

I feel if melanated people went through the trauma by ourselves we should be able and will continue to heal amongst ourselves.

I have been in certain environments where there are melanated people who gather to heal only to have certain types of ill -intentioned people come and insert themselves into melanated healing spaces.

They do not come to learn but to use what Ms. Toni Morrison referred to as the “white gaze”.

I feel that because certain white people know what they do WHEN THEY GATHER in groups they assume melanated people will do the same.

I feel that if you are truly doing and have mutual respect for another culture, you wouldn’t have a need to “gaze” at other cultures as an intimidation tactic.

But as Bob Marley sang:

“Ya must have done (must have done)
Somet’in’ wrong (something wrong)

Why you can’t find the
Place where you belong?
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (Running Away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (Running Away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (Running Away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (Running Away)

Ya running and ya running
And ya running away.
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away.
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away.
Ya running and ya running
But ya can’t run away from yourself.”

Bob Marley was really speaking on some things especially when he sang :

“Brr – you must have done somet’in’ –
Somet’in’ – somet’in’ – somet’in’ –
Somet’in’ ya don’t want nobody to know about.”

Those are some powerful lyrics.

Let’s dive deeper into this process..

I’ve observed how even when melanated people are trying to process there trauma in a safe space you have certain people that come in to melanated healing spaces to attempt to re-traumatize melanated people.

They act like the melanated healing space is a game of Uno.

Throwing out the “reverse racism card” while attempting to do uncoordinated cha cha slides with sprinkles of gaslighting.

I’ve been in situations where certain people of ill-intent purposely come to spread discord into melanated healing spaces.

Often, there has to be another session to detox from the uno games that are played when certain white people come into melanated healing spaces.

Certain white people who have ill-intent will often interrupt when a melanated person tells their story they will interject and tell stories about what happened to THEM when they encountered Blaaaaaaack people.

The next thing you know the healing space no longer is about the melanated person and the healing session becomes about the ill-intentioned white person.

Who did not even come into the space to heal.

Instead, they come to tell melanated people how they should feel.

This doesn’t just happen in healing spaces it happens in certain businesses that inadvertently turn into healing spaces.

Does anyone remember a couple of years back when the Shea Moisture controversy happened?

You had melanated women who were sharing their stories of what they dealt with regarding their hair only for certain types of white females to come in and attempt to co-opt.

Of course, and rightfully so there were melanated women who saw the “hook” and spoke on the tactic that was being used.

It was almost like where did these white females come from that were embracing curly hair all of a sudden?

It was like Blazing Saddles, “Where the white women at?”

I’ll tell you where some of them were, taking part in bullying Black women.

That’s why certain behavior patterns were called out because it was a fakeness to it.

I’m not even talking about hair at this point.

Especially, because certain white females have a habit of participating in bullying of black women and in the words of E. Garcia:

“Only, notice the ,”difference” when it suits them.”

When certain white females behavior are called out melanated women are gaslight and told that they are the issue and melanated women get told THEY are jealous or envious as if jealously and envious has a color or race attached to it.

But, hey we ALL one right?

I feel that if this “UNITY” thing is supposed to be real.

There has to be a part in society whereas the Williams Brothers sang we have to “Sweep Around” our own front door.

Each of us.

Written and Conceived By:

DaSh’e

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