How do we navigate the twin pandemics of COVID with the isolating quarantine to facing the hard truths of racial inequality and racism that still exists today? How can we hold space to talk about the painful past, figuring out our new way of connecting, so we can heal these traumas?  We can start with a “first draft” towards communicating.  We cannot heal what we are too afraid to talk about. It’s time to confront our own misunderstanding of white privilege to have compassion for ourselves and those around us.  We must learn to have empathy, compassion and be courageous to have these conversations.

Dr. Ricky J. Pope received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University in 2018. He earned an Associate’s degree in transfer studies and transferred to San Diego State University (SDSU), where he graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. He now provides therapeutic services at Counseling and Psychological Services to SDSU college students. Dr. Pope takes pleasure in assisting first-generation college students to persist toward degree completion as he knows that college can be a path toward upward mobility. His general clinical interests involve addressing racial and ethnic identity concerns, depression and anxiety, and concerns related to masculinity. His research interests involve critical considerations of racism and equity in education, service delivery to underrepresented populations, and the study of organizational structures and participant outcomes in the justice setting