The University Counseling Center and Student Care Network will host Racial Stress Awareness Week March 27–31 to provide opportunities for learning, expressing, coping and connecting.
Race-related stress refers to “the transactions between individuals or groups and their environment that emerge from the dynamics of racism, and that are perceived to tax or exceed existing individual and collective resources or threaten well-being.” Racial stress can manifest physically, emotionally and spiritually.
The following events will occur throughout the week:
Monday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rand Wall
Share Your Story
Join in creating a Racial Stress Awareness Week banner while also picking up some UCC/SCN swag. You are welcome to share your story by writing or drawing a word, phrase or image that represents you and honors your experiences with racial stress while at VU.
Tuesday, March 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. at MCS Meeting Room
Expressive Arts Workshop
Poems, songs and narratives have long been used to help us process and express emotions and events. Join us for the Spoken Word Expressive Arts Workshop, where we will discuss how to create and use poems and spoken word to accurately describe and share one’s experiences and emotions. Food will be provided.
Wednesday, March 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Alumni Hall 206 Reading Room
Live Virtual Speaker Thenmozhi Soundararajan, followed by a BIPOC mixer
A Dalit American transmedia artist, technologist and futurist, Soundararajan has mobilized the South Asian American community to confront historical trauma and break the silence about caste, and to commit to ending caste apartheid, gender-based violence, white supremacy and religious intolerance. Dinner will be provided.
Thursday, March 30, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Library Lawn
SCN Wellbeing Fair
Enjoy free food, chair massages, gentle yoga and sound meditation sessions, therapy animals and student-led mindfulness activities, and connect with SCN and other campus partner offices about resources and services.
Friday, March 31, from 3 to 4 p.m. at MCS Meeting Room
Healing Space
This event will celebrate the end of Racial Stress Awareness Week by offering a space to connect, give and receive support, and rest. A mindfulness exercise rooted in the power of rest as a form of healing and resistance will be presented. Savory treats also will be provided.
Contact ucc@vanderblt.edu for any questions about Racial Stress Awareness Week.