Self-Care A-Z: Summer Vibes That Soothe the Soul - On Liberation and Self-Care for Black Social Workers and Allies
by Mindy Eaves, DSW, CSW, MSW, and Marlon Buckley, MSW, LMSW
“I’m so tired, it’s been so long, struggling hopelessly…
If there's anything I can say to help you find your way…
Touch your soul, make it whole, the same for you and I…”—Liberation
Music helps us develop a deeper connection to others and embrace our own identity.
W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk, identified “the problem of the colorline” and noted the spiritual connection between Black identity and music. Similarly, bell hooks acknowledged the use of music to express myriad emotions rooted in pain and trauma, as a means of liberation and identity development.
The neo-soul, southern hip hop anthem, Liberation, birthed by Outkast, Cee Lo Green, Erykah Badu, and Big Rube, encapsulates a collective truth about oppression and reconstruction. Regarded by many musical critics as one of the most powerful creations of advocacy “woke” music, Liberation expresses the collective struggle for freedom and identity in oppressive spaces. With music as a connector, we invite you to engage in conversation about how we, as Black social workers, practice self-care, especially in this current cultural era.
“All you wanna do is give the world your heart”
Conversations about racism and oppression are difficult. And, undoubtedly, they’re absolutely necessary to create a safe space for dialogue. Tiffiny Hughes-Troutman, director of the Center for Assessment, Referral, and Education (CARE) at Georgia Tech, recommends conversations start small with who you genuinely care about—such as friends or colleagues.
In terms of initiating the conversation, everyone has a responsibility to broach such topics. Hughes-Troutman suggests that deeper understanding and connection amongst people are potential benefits of creating safe space. Additionally, she recommends understanding your own identity, as part of the process of creating a safe space for both yourself and others.
“My feet feel like I walked most of the road on my own”
Marlon: As a Black male social worker, I find that creating a safe place is vital to self-care. I benefit from having a circle of support of helping professionals with shared experiences, culturally. As a student in graduate school in a hybrid program at Tennessee State University (TSU) and Vanderbilt, I was exposed to a stark contrast in worldviews that seem worlds apart. At Vanderbilt, I felt isolated and oftentimes defended the necessity for cultural competence to other future helping professionals. At TSU, I felt as if my cohort “got it” regarding cultural competence. I created a system of support to keep in contact with my cohort and allies.
When tensions became high in the country following the George Floyd incident, I found myself even more isolated at work than normal and filled with uncertainty. Is this topic taboo? How do I engage my White counterparts about racism and oppression? Persons of color toil over these feelings at work, while trying to keep a professional face for others. I lean on my circle of professional support to vent my hurt and pain and strategize on how to approach these conversations in meaningful ways. With this support, I’m able to process my emotions and facilitate an opportunity for true understanding amongst everyone.
“Tryna fix myself for society—”
Mindy: In a deep, soulful ballad, Guarding the Gates, Lauryn Hill explores experiencing love amidst the pressure of societal expectations. For me, self-care is choosing a wholistic, compassionate, forgiving, loving vision of myself–which is a departure from the harmful, unrealistic image of a “strong Black woman.” As Melissa Harris Perry, in Sister Citizen, wrote, “The standards set by the ideal of the strong Black woman is impossible to maintain.” Embracing my true identity creates a renewed, liberated vision of myself.
This choice to see myself authentically strengthens my self-love. Self-love is liberating oneself from leveraging comparisons, abandoning self-destructive images/expectations, and allowing oneself pleasure. As adrienne maree brown says, “The front lines are inside of us.” Self-care and self-love are fundamentally integral to sustaining my front-line social work activism.
“Guard the Gate” “Shake that load off…”
Continue the conversation: What music or other creative work speaks your truth? Where do you find/create circles of supports? What (positive) images and ideals shape your identity? What are your self-care goals and strategies for claiming your identity and co-creating liberated spaces? Sing your song.
Dr. Mindy Eaves is Program Director and Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work at Kentucky State University, a Board Member at Continued, a Whitney M. Young Scholar, consultant for the Wellness Group ETC, LLC, and co-author and co-editor of The A to Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and other Helping Professionals (Grise-Owens, Miller, & Eaves, 2016, Eds.). Dr. Eaves is a certified social worker and earned her Doctorate of Social Work from the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Eaves has more than 17 years of social work experience in the areas of administration, teaching, clinical social work, and child welfare. Her passion is self-care and cultural competence to ensure sustainability of social workers.
Marlon J. Buckley, Sr., MSW, LMSW, is a United States Army combat veteran who has a passion for mental health and community services for underserved populations. Mr. Buckley is a licensed master social worker from the state of Tennessee, as well as a certified social worker in the state of Kentucky.