Music Therapists for BLACK LIVES

Well, I can’t sleep. It’s 4am in Rochester, and I have no idea how I’m going to get my much-needed 9 hours of sleep for today. I’ve been on the verge of panic attacks all night and my stress and anxiety have been through the roof. Why? I accidentally started an uprising within the field of music therapy. 

But all of this pales in comparison with my fellow Rochesterians whose bodies are beaten and bloodied, bruised and broken. I’m actually ashamed that I feel beaten mentally and not physically because I chose to stay home and felt too unsafe to be on the front lines of protest. Lucky, me. I don’t feel the same discomfort that my Black friends feel because I don’t have to fear being Black in this city, I don’t have to fear for my life in this country because of the color of my skin.

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A man died, at the hands of the police. He was naked, thus unarmed. It was freezing and snowing. And he was having a mental health crisis.

The cops that far outnumbered this 41 year old naked man must have been afraid. They were so afraid of his beautiful black body that they restrained him, in a deadly way. Daniel Prude’s life ended at the hands of police on March 23, 2020. The worst part about it is that our city leaders kept it from the public for all this time and lied about us not having the same racial problems as other cities.

Say his name. Daniel Prude.

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Okay, I can’t take credit for everything that’s happened on Facebook with music therapists. There’s a lot that has been going on underneath the surface, but what I shared made some people uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that the content of my post belonged in a separate group. Maybe it was because there were external links attached. Maybe it’s because Daniel’s death is about race. Maybe it’s because some people are still functioning under old systems.

I chose to share these links, this information, the very brief mention of Daniel Prude’s death because this is my city, Rochester, NY. I guess it’s true that things hit harder when they’re close to home… or when they are home. Now the what-ifs of his death are clearly known. The goings-on of the protests are being Live-Streamed by my friends. The reality that one of my BIPOC friends-like-family could die at the hands of cops in Rochester is even more real than I ever thought possible.

So, how could I be silent? I felt a responsibility to speak on behalf of my city. I desperately wanted the field of music therapists to be aware of what’s going on from a music-therapist-who’s-in-that-city’s perspective and have another name to pray justice for. And because I know that when I live far away from a major news event and want to help out, often what I can do is support by signing petitions and giving a little money.

I couldn’t be silent. I needed to share. Our field needed to be aware of what real things were happening here, that to my knowledge were being covered by national news. And the very next day after posting, I see videos of protesters, many my friends, being maced, tear gassed, pepper sprayed away… and worst of all, put in that same deadly restraint that Daniel Prude, George Floyd, and likely many more Black Americans have been held down with. Face down, stripped of dignity, void of respect, having taken away their breath.

A body was broken and you need to know about it. We need to keep talking about the racist systems that are in place and continue taking action to create change. We need to vote, give, share like our lives depend on it. I tried to make my second post about music therapy and how the good little music therapist I am went to a very safe walk with other mental health practitioners. I held up a sign “Music Therapists for BLACK LIVES” to represent the MT-BCs in the city and surrounding areas supporting our Black community, and showing the world (or whoever got a glimpse or media picture of my sign) that music therapists support Black Lives. 

Don’t we?

I think it’s okay to bend the rule this one time and allow a GoFundMe link to appear on this single post. All the other groups deemed it okay, and you should too. Strictly following the rules we’ve created a while ago can get us in trouble; something I am continually learning as a recovering perpetual rule-follower.

I could have even taken the link down or directed people to a non-GoFundMe link. There were so many ways for me to still share the news and opportunities to support the Black Lives with the majority of music therapists on Facebook and follow the rules.

Many of you stood up in this moment and shared your thoughts. You shared your lived experience as BIPOC music therapists and you shared your thoughts on behalf of your clients. You are so strong. With Daniel Prude’s story, many people are going through some sort of a re-traumatization. This includes our clients and our colleagues. It is a music therapist subject to talk about. 

So yeah, Black Lives Matter 

…back then before the media was so public about it, 

…now that violent acts against BIPOC are being video recorded (and shared on Facebook feeds), 

…and in the future when things go back to “normal” and people aren’t so in-your-face about race. We will still have a lot of work to do then. It won’t end in our lifetime, but we can be part of the change,

Music therapists, let’s show our support to our Black colleagues and clients. If nothing else, let one Facebook post hang out in a group where it’ll eventually get buried anyway.

Thank you to all the music therapists who stood up alongside me to make was going on public knowledge - we shouldn’t keep things so secret all the time, it gets us in trouble. Thank you for sharing my posts and possibly signing the petition and giving some money to local Rochester organizations doing the hard work right now. The people of Rochester are so grateful for the support we’re getting from around the country and world. Thank you for reading all the thoughts, opinions, stories, anger and frustration that rose up in some Facebook Music Therapists groups. You’re the ones serious about change. Thank you.

Music therapists who are Black and have darker skin and different features than mine, your life is worth it. I will continue fighting for you. ✊♥️

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At that very sweet and safe protest I went to with other mental health professionals, where there was no police presence because the vast majority of the crowd was white, several people shared. One older black man who has been a psychotherapist for many years shared this, and it stuck with me. He urged us to encourage any young BIPOC students, friends, or family to go into the field of mental health (and I’ll add Music Therapy to that list of practitioners!). There needs to be more representation all around, and maybe it can start with a simple conversation about the amazing work mental health professionals and music therapists do every single day and that they can do it too one day. We are trained, we are compassionate, and we do our work with empathy. Any mental health professional could have de-escalated Daniel Prude during his psychosis without killing him.

If you are a music therapist in Rochester, NY and are looking for a place to connect, send me a message. I’d love to connect with you and bring you over to our FB group, especially during this difficult time. If you are a BIPOC music therapist and need support, consider following and joining the Black Music Therapists Network and Black Creative Healing. I believe they are both on Facebook and Instagram. There are additional music therapist affinity groups represented as well. If you’re a music therapist looking for a safe and supportive space on Facebook, let me know. I’ll hook you up with my favorite MT groups. 💜