Oakland has long been the birthplace of justice movements. Our collective essence is one of resistance to injustice and persistence in the face of hardship. It’s no wonder that a small group of community members have banded together to create a space of academic healing for our most vulnerable learners.
The Academy for Restorative Education (AFRE) is a new Oakland non-profit whose focus is to close the achievement gap for under performing African-American students, and promote restorative educational practices to teach healthy responses to past educational neglect.
The primary mission of the AFRE is to aid in the development and support of specific, proven and meaningful educational models to improve academic achievement. Many underperforming students in Oakland lack the basic healing spaces and equipment to thrive academically.
After years of navigating a barren and, at times, hostile educational landscape for African-American children in the public school sector, several community members in Oakland joined Dr. Lasha Pierce, the Executive Director of AFRE, and decided to start SILE: School for Innovation, Leadership, and Efficacy. With an eye on closing the opportunity gap for African-American students, they have successfully formulated an innovative, inclusive curriculum rooted in Restorative Education. AFRE plans to join the legacy independent schools in the bay area in providing an educational alternative for African-American students.
The organization’s final 501C(3) designation with the IRS is still pending, but they are carrying on with fundraising, and organizing efforts cannot drag on. All community support is welcomed.
The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019, in a yet-to-be-determined location.
Recruitment for students and families has begun. For more information, to volunteer time or resources, or to enroll a child, email info@afrebayarea.org.
By Michael E. Connor, Ph.D.
Professor Alliant International University and
Professor Emeritus CSULB
When many/most folks think about psychology, they are likely thinking about clinical psychology—the branch which provides therapy and counseling. Some therapists may focus on children, others on adults, some on adolescents and others on geriatrics. The approaches, methodologies, interactions and parameters vary with each population. Additionally, some practitioners may work with individuals, some with groups; others with businesses; some with families or with an admixture of the above. A primary goal is to change thinking and activity in order to become more proficient, less stressed, more relaxed and more self-sufficient, which could result in more happiness and self-sufficiency.
Michael E. Connor, Ph.D., Professor Alliant International University and Professor Emeritus CSULB
A variety of techniques, procedures and processes are utilized, ranging from talk therapies to exercise to mindfulness training to medications (under the auspices of a medical doctor). The field of Black psychology has devoted itself to creating healing techniques and therapeutic practices design specifically for African American persons, families and community.
The focus on this month’s Critical Black Mental Health Issues is child and family therapy. When one considers the collective history and toxic context in which African American people were forced to live in the US, it is surprising that any of us have survived.
Yet, thousands have done so—this speaks directly of our (and our ancestors’) strengths, resolve, genius, and life lessons. However, living with constant stress and social toxicity too often results in physical and mental problems, including essential hypertension, diabetes, obesity, family violence, death at the hands of police, strokes, depression, anxiety, broken homes, the inability to care for self and others, and poor self esteem, to name a few.
All of this suggests the need for collaborative and culturally congruent healthy approaches to daily living which may include therapy.
In Black psychology the major works of Akbari, Bynum, Kambon, Grills, Myers, Parham, White, etc. provide a treasure chest of theory and practice that can serve as the basis for understanding and repairing the dehumanization of African people. As Black Psychologists, we especially want to note that in considering therapy, Black people should keep in mind that all behavior occurs in a social-historical-cultural context. Given our culture, when working with younger children (those who cannot yet engage in abstract thinking), it is important to include parents, grandparents, caregivers and other engaged adults (in this sense, for Black people, all therapy should or could be viewed as a form of Family Therapy).
In working with younger children, an approach I found most useful involved shaping and reinforcing desired behavior, using social reinforcement— while ignoring the undesired behavior (note, it is important to be aware of reasonable age appropriate child behaviors). In this model, primary caregivers are trained to observe the problematic behavior, to help determine appropriate preferred behavior and to reinforce approximations of that preferred behavior until the desired result is reached.
Along with various therapies in Black psychology, it is important in this discussion to consider the following specific issues when working with Black children:
Establish consistency in their lives—developing and maintaining a schedule (i.e., eating at the same time, going to bed at the same time (seven days a week), getting up at the same time, etc.);
Engage and reinforce the child’s natural curiosity (answer questions, read to them share/discuss their history);
Try not to confuse punishment with discipline;
Do not “treat your kids the same”—rather get to know them and treat them “who they are;”
Remember, fathers AND mothers have important roles to play in their children’s lives—kids need moms and dads;
If possible, have an annual physical exam for your children—keep a copy of the results (mental health and physical health are related); and,
Consistently, model appropriate behaviors for your child
The ABPsi’s 50th Annual International Convention will be held June 27th-July 1st, 2018, at The Marriott Oakland City Center, in Oakland, CA. Come join this gathering of psychologists, university professors, educators, health care professionals, researchers, students and everyday folks and learn about children and family therapy designed for Black people.
The Bay Area Chapter of the ABPsi can be contacted at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.
Ten students sat with white lab coats, stethoscopes around their necks, waiting to receive pins and certifications for their work in nursing academy.
These weren’t college students, though. They were students from Robinson Elementary School in Fairfield in grades third through sixth. This is the first year the school started its Exploratory Nursing Program, and on Tuesday, students received recognition for their work.
Jennifer Coleman, a professor at Samford University School of Nursing and member of the Birmingham Black Nurses Association (BBNA), said she was impressed with the students’ level of knowledge of healthcare.
“These children were giving out information that we give our college students . . . the future of healthcare is in good hands; I see some healthcare leaders, some CEOs of healthcare organizations.”
Coleman, who was joined by Deborah Zimmerman and Martha Dawson – also members of the BBNA – visited the school when the program began in December, and said students were very hands-on.
“We talked about nursing, healthcare, the importance of activity, exercise, nutrition, we taught them CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation],” Coleman said. “One of our nurses let them all stick her finger to check her blood glucose. They asked questions, and we realized how amazing they were. They were asking such high-level questions . . . they surpassed our expectations. They’re so smart, inquisitive.”
Students were also taught how to take blood pressure, listen to heart rates, and check blood sugar levels for diabetes. They presented information about hypertension, health and wellness, how to test for the flu, how to properly wash hands and how to perform CPR on adults and infants.
“If your family member is not responding to you and on the floor, you have to know how to do CPR,” said Ophelia Acquah, a teacher at Robinson Elementary School, who developed the program. “There might not always be another adult around.”
Parents were also impressed with the results. Lakecia Coleman (no relation to the professor) said her 11-year-old daughter Ja’Nia, who received her pin on Tuesday, has always talked about being a doctor or nurse.
The program helped her daughter become passionate about pursuing the healthcare field, Lakecia said.
“She’s been questioning all the family on their health,” Lakecia said. “She’s been looking into it more now. One of her uncles is a diabetic, and she’s been asking a lot of questions since she got started in the program. My husband recently had surgery so she’s been on all of us about our health.”
Healthcare is a good field of work, but it’s more than a career, she said.
“[Ja’Nia] wants to be healthy and she wants our family to be healthy,” Lakecia said. “So, she’s going to be on our backs about it until we get it together. We’re going to be in good hands with these young people leading the way.”
Ophelia Acquah, a teacher at Robinson Elementary School, developed the program to introduce students to a diverse field, she said.
“Most of the career academies are in the high schools, but the pace the world is going, the kids need to be exposed at an early age – the earlier the better,” said Acquah, who has no background in healthcare but a passion for finding solutions to needs. “A lot of times students in low-income areas are forgotten, but it’s my responsibility as an educator to find a need and fix it.”
The program went beyond health and included math, Acquah said.
“[Students] had to apply what they learned from the professionals to what they learned in the lab and decide what is the problem affecting the students. They came up with weight,” she said. “They learned math calculations and how to find averages and how to find research. They worked together. They worked as a team to put the slides together.”
Students read articles, researched, and checked for accuracy with their sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. They also had labs for four weeks and “worked with their classmates as if they were nurses,” Acquah said. “One of the kids said ‘my patient’ so they had patients that came into the lab and had their weight and blood pressure checked.”
Students were asked take notes on findings, she said.
“They noticed that their peers weight fluctuated, not because they gained weight, but because they had heavier clothes on,” Acquah said. “So, these were things they considered and looked at in their research.”
Professionals also spoke to the students. “They had a dental hygienist come to class,” Acquah said. “We had a doctor of psychology from Lawson State Community College teach how to conduct their research. That’s how they designed their surveys.”
The program has been a success.
“I had some students that came to me saying ‘next year I don’t want to be a patient, I want to be a nurse,’ Acquah said. “And I hope that we do have more who are passionate about this next year.”
By Michael E. Connor, Ph.D.
