Response to Civil Unrest

A MESSAGE FROM OWNER JUSTIN PERRY

From the time that I was a child, I have been consumed with the concepts of justice and healing. As a tall 5th grader who worked to keep other kids from being bullied, the goals I set out for myself were to go to the NBA, retire from there,  go to Harvard Law School, and become a Supreme Court Justice.

On those goals, I am currently 0 for 3, but my commitment to healing and justice has remained unwavering. I did not write a statement following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbrery, Breonna, Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, and countless others, because I thought my actions of fighting for justice in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region were an open book. However, I was thinking as an individual, shielding my team, but ultimately shortchanging the incredible people who make up Perry Counseling Healing and Recovery, PLLC, one of whom reached out to me, letting me know if I wanted to put out a statement they would support it. Message received.

At our practice, we have clinicians and a Peer Support Specialist who has worked to support people from a wide range of demographics across race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and class. We have seen the depths of pain and shame that exist throughout our region and beyond and commit unflinchingly to the work of helping people heal or connecting them with someone else who can.

And it is through the lens of a person whose life is built on healing and responding to the trauma and strife of other people that I write this statement. From our nation’s inception with the implementation of the transatlantic slave trade, the trauma and terror inflicted upon Black bodies have literally been treated as the cost of doing business. From slavery to Jim Crow lynchings, Black Codes and convict leasing, segregation, urban renewal, mass incarceration, and police brutality, trauma and terror have been a quietly accepted part of the experience of Black folks. My grandparents, parents, and I have our own stories of learning to navigate a world without having full agency of our own bodies. As someone who has worked the last 18 years with people from ages 5 to 75 from all walks of life around this state and most frequently, Mecklenburg and Stanly Counties, I have seen trauma in many forms. I no longer see creating a space for empathy as a job; for me, it is a way of life. I have also seen, even within my own field, however, that racial trauma has never been given the same respect and empathy as other forms of trauma.

As an organization of people who will meet you or any of your family members—regardless of background—wherever you are in your healing journeys, this is not acceptable. And directly, as a Black man who has worked with people across demographic, political, and other spectrums, I cannot in good faith gloss over this moment in time without affirming the humanity of my colleagues, our families, our broader community, and myself.

We believe that not only do Black Lives Matter, but they are precious and worthy of the same love and compassion that we will provide to anybody who starts their journey of healing with us. We denounce police brutality, systemic racism in the forms of economic, housing, educational, environmental, criminal justice, and health care disparities that have had cumulative impacts across generations. We are committed to being a part of the healing in this community, with you and your family individually, as well as with the broader Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.

In our daily work with individuals and families, we engage in challenging conversations around painful experiences with compassionate accountability and do not believe that we can shy away here. Much like Bill W and the 12 steps, there is a path available to being happy, joyous, and free from the/ sins of parents, grandparents, forefathers, and yes, ourselves. In this work, if we are going to ever heal as a community, let alone nation, we will have to resist shame, avoid quick application of cute band-aids that my kids love, and instead commit to true cleaning of a 400-year wound. I am my brother’s keeper.

Our goal is to be Charlotte’s premier home for inclusive, affirming, and empowering therapy. We are also committed to making the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region better so that all people have a just path to climb Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We look forward to joining you in that journey! 

Braving the Wilderness,

Justin L. Perry

Owner, Therapist

Perry Counseling Healing and Recovery, PLLC