Trauma

Author's Note: I was asked to join others for a day on the topic of trauma. What it is and healing from it for Native Americans and people of color, and LGBTQ+ populations. Should be fun.

There is a panel and a breakout with people from each of these groups. A co-trainer and I will handle both a panel presentation and a breakout presentation.

Missing

Murdered

Who cares

It is obvious

No search

Weak investigation

Found dead

Who cares

~

It only happens to women

No, it doesn't

There are missing boys

Young men

Runaways?

No return

No, they couldn't be found

Who cares

~

Boarding school

Do not speak the language

You will be punished

Cut your hair

fit in

You will never fit in

brown skin color

trauma passed down

Who cares

~

Religious freedom in '78

Christian family members

culture ways

slow to return

conflicted

Go back to where you came from

Who cares

~

Trauma

Microaggressions

microinsults

microassaults

microinvalidations

big words

I don't do this

Who cares

~

That was the past

get over it

forced or coerced sterilization

in the early 70s

when my brother

and my babies were born

Who cares

~

Grandbabies

called names on the bus

a bus they looked forward to riding

They were just babies

their strong mother

She is looked at as crazy

when she complains

She can afford to drive

her children

She drives them

Who cares

~

She doesn't look Native

She lives with the comments

the insults

the slams 

the treatment of her people

Or she fights it

everyday

Who cares

~

When doing our own grief work

We can help others to heal

We can help our future generations

We can help our ancestors

Knowing the past and present

It is important for our future

It is not to go back and blame

not to stay there

but to learn from the past 

to have a better future

for our people

our children 

and future generations

I care