To Respond Or React: Violence against Black Bodies(Tribute to Nia Wilson)

The Seeds You Sow

This past week on the Seeds You Sow we took a minute to pause and reflect. In today's culture we realize that we are constantly bombarded with a multitude of images and reports of violence against black bodies. How often though do we question the effects of these reports and the rapid exposure to these too often violent stories and images, on our daily mental health? Considering that the violence against black bodies in America is not only a recent issue but a historical one as well, we wanted to take the time to think about how we're processing the media we receive, and if we are responding or reacting to these upsettig news reports in a healthy way. We have two articles for you to review: "Police Killings and Violence Are Driving Black People Crazy posted by citylab.com and "New Study Gives Broader Look Into How Police Killings Affect Black Americans' Mental Health" posted by pbs.org. This episode was also inspired by Nia Wilson; a young woman whose life was senselessly taken while traveling on BART with her older sister. The incident took place three weeks ago and though the news was quick to report, now that time has passed a number of us have been left with a range of emotions and lingering questions. Through this episode we created a space where questions were not left unasked, and emotions were not left to linger; instead they were affirmed and felt. We acknowledge the importance of taking a moment to honor the lives of those who were killed and not just scrolling through these stories but giving a space for us to be vulnerable in about how this affects us as individuals and as a community. Through our conversation we offered tips and advice to our listeners about how to protect themselves from the violence that occurs in their day to day lives, and also about how to protect their mind and spirit, by filtering out the media messages they consume. We hope this episode encourages you and other listeners all to think critically about the news and media you consume, and the affect it has on the way you view yourself and your outlook on the world around you. More importantly, we hope this episode encourages us all to think about what actions we can take to make these violent stories against black bodies less prevalent.