There was a great deal of backlash after Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States. Gun sales and hate groups increased along with an increase in hate crimes. Some experts believe that this current book ban is another attempt to erase the contributions of African Americans on U.S. society and the success we have achieved from future generations of children living in the country.
A lack of awareness of Black history and our contributions to the success of this country can lead to stereotyping, divisions between people, discrimination, and hate. What are the implications of banned books for the addictions profession? Research by the Annapolis Coalition reveals that in the future counselors will be younger, whiter, and female and clients will be younger, darker and male. Books can provide knowledge which reduce stereotypes and help build therapeutic bridges rather than therapeutic walls in cross cultural substance use disorders counseling.
Reading has always been a liberating force and recovery tool for African Americans. Frederick Douglass was the first prominent American Recovering Alcoholic. When Douglass was a youth, the slave holder’s wife was teaching him to read. The slave’s holder said to his wife, “If you teach him to read, it will be impossible to keep him a slave.”
Thousands of African Americans initiated recovery after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X and becoming inspired by Malcolm's recovery journey as described in the book. The recovery story of Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, is discussed in her biography Afeni Shakur: The Evolution of a Revolutionary. This book should be read by every African American woman seeking recovery.
This online museum offers numerous books and articles to help counselors work more effectively with African American Clients with substance use disorders.
Click here to view counseling articles Free Scholarly Articles — Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery
Click here for a list of biographies, autobiographies and memoirs Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs — Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery
Happy Black History Month