| Anita Arnold's entire life, both personal and professional, has been shaped by her Racial Justice Activism for 3+ decades. As a trauma therapist, she includes addressing the collective, societal trauma of systemic oppression as an integral aspect of the healing process. She believes that healing from trauma is relational and accomplished best in community. Anita utilizes a model of personal growth and trauma healing as a container for social justice development and change–both individually, in groups, and organizations. Inspired by the work of Resmaa Menakem, and Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., she supports that collective racial trauma is validated through the body and racialized trauma is addressed through somatic interventions. Anita studied Family Therapy at the Multicultural Institute of Family Therapy; power dynamics were assessed for each family through the lens of racism, sexism, classism and heterosexism. Anita is the co-founder and facilitator of the Racial Justice Witness Project. As a Reparations Activist, she organized a multi-racial group of racial justice educators and training facilitators for this project. The purpose of the project is to engage with white anti-racism activists in providing facilitated journeys to the Lynching Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. A primary outcome of the project is the development of an educational curriculum focused on Reparations. The project is grounded in the belief that interdependent humanity is a required outcome for the success of reparation projects. She maintains a small private practice, and is in the process of forming groups for long-time racial justice activists, change agents and organizers who desire to heal the collective, and personal presence of trauma. Anita lives in Sedona, Arizona and can be reached at: [email protected] |
