The Carruth Center staff wants our Black and Brown students, colleagues, and community members to know that we stand with the Black Lives Matter movement.
As mental health practitioners and members of this community, we value and support all Black lives. We are extremely saddened and enraged by the historic and continued systematic racism, oppression and violence committed against Black and Brown people in this country and across the world. These experiences are traumatic, but despite the trauma, oppressed and marginalized groups in our country remain resilient.
We acknowledge that there are ways in which our profession has disenfranchised Black and Brown individuals and we also want to acknowledge and take full responsibility for ways in which our Center has not risen to the occasion to meet the needs of our Black and Brown Students. While we know that we cannot repair or fix these injustices overnight, we want our WVU community to know that we are working to do better, be better at recognizing and supporting the needs of our Black and Brown students.
We are inspired by the work our Black and Brown students, colleagues, and community members have put forth to educate and speak out on racial injustices they face daily. The immense amount of extra labor and emotional vulnerability that this work requires of those using their own, often, very painful, lived experiences to educate their oppressors and allies, is not ideal, but we appreciate the strength that it has taken.
As mental health practitioners we are committed to doing more to use our voices and resources to shoulder some of this burden. The nature of our work grants us with the privilege of witnessing the strength and resilience of the human spirit on a daily basis. Again, we are incredibly inspired by Black and Brown students, colleagues, and community members and will continue to stand beside you, do better as community members and mental health practitioners and will continue to listen.
The Carruth Center is committed to diversity in its staff and program offers for the student population.
CCCPS Diversity Statement
The Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCCPS) is dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all members of the WVU community. We are grateful for the diversity of our Mountaineer family, which can span age, appearance, ethnicity and race, financial means, gender, language, military experience, nationality, citizenship status, physical and mental abilities, politics, religion and spirituality, region, body size, and sexual orientation.
We believe that acknowledging the cultural wealth of everyone helps us to recognize, at once, the uniqueness and the universality of the human experience. This recognition of our similarities and differences can make us mindful of how we define ourselves and treat other members of our Gold and Blue community. Join us as we encourage all members to engage in open and ongoing dialogue about the attitudes, values, and beliefs that shape us, individually and collectively, in this global age.
On Campus Resources
- The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Provides university-wide education, support, accountability and leadership on issues relating to diversity to the campus and community.
- Center for Black Culture and Research - The CBC&R provides educational, social and cultural support for African and African American Students, faculty, staff, and community members.
Off Campus Resources
There are number of different Black-owned services and businesses in the Morgantown area.
Social media accounts
Social media can help us connect to community and like-minded people that can inspire us. Here are some accounts you could follow:
- Black Lives Matter
- Rachel Cargle
- Luvvie Ajayi Jones
- Tamika Mallory
- Until Freedom
- Erica Ford
- Life Camp Inc.
Online Resources
- Black Lives Matter Meditation - Includes a meditation for healing racial trauma. There is also a mediation for cultivating an anti-racism racist mindset.
- The Steve Fund - The nation’s leading organization focused on supporting the mental, social, and emotional health and well-being of young people of color. You will find specific spaces for conversation as well as workshops.
- Community Healing Network: Healing in the Face of Racial Trauma - You can download a free toolkit developed by and for people of African ancestry for self-care, family-care, and community care. There are additional resources that you can find as well.
- BIPOC Resources and Referrals - Boston College
- The Trauma of Racism (NYU) - Reviews the research around racism, its impact, and what needs to be done moving forward.
- Crisis Text Line - Are you a young person of color? Feeling down, stressed or overwhelmed? Text STEVE to 741741 and a live, trained Crisis Counselor will respond.
- Black Mental Health Resources - This article contains a great list of people, organizations, and brands to follow as well as information on how to access therapy if someone would like, but is unable, to access a Black therapist.
- BEAM - BEAM is a training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness and liberation of Black and marginalized communities. See their tool kits and educational materials.