Dark Girls is a fascinating and controversial documentary film that goes underneath the surface to explore the prejudices that dark-skinned women face throughout the world. It explores the roots of classism, racism and the lack of self-esteem within a segment of cultures that span from America to the most remote corners of the globe. Women share their personal stories, touching on deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes of society, while allowing generations to heal as they learn to love themselves for who they are.
The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) announced that, in response to a request from the Oprah Winfrey Network, it is providing resources to facilitate healing conversations about the ground-breaking film, Dark Girls, which will have its world television premiere on OWN on Sunday, June 23, 2013. ABPsi’s resources will be available at www.abpsi.org.
In addition, ABPsi is providing information about its collaboration with the Community Healing Network (CHN), which is working to mobilize the Black community to overcome internalized beliefs about the inferiority of Black skin, Black hair, and other characteristics associated with people of African ancestry.
Dark Girls explores the blows to self-esteem faced by dark-skinned women all over the world, and ABPsi psychologists have compiled a summary of the issues raised in the film and their psychological implications, emotional wellness tips, and links to helpful resources.
To address the broad range of problems related to the idea of Black inferiority, ABPsi is working with CHN to create a network of self-help groups focused on emotional emancipation, healing, and wellness for Black people. ABPsi has developed a ground-breaking, research-based Emotional Emancipation (EE) Circles Toolkit and Curriculum in partnership with CHN, which will be available to the public in August 2013. EE Circles are safe, flexible gatherings in which Black people can come together to share stories, learn more about the impact of historical forces on emotions, and learn and practice essential emotional wellness skills.
“We believe,” said Community Healing Network President Enola Aird, “that the only real solution to the problems illuminated in Dark Girls is a vibrant grassroots movement for the emotional emancipation of Black people, and it is our hope that EE Circles will be catalysts for personal reflection, dialogue, and action that will help heal, revitalize, and transform the Black community.”
For more information, visit www.abpsi.org and www.CommunityHealingNet.org.
Related Links:
The Official Dark Girls Movie Website
