One of the most common words to describe 2020 was traumatic. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the George Floyd protests to the anti-Black and anti-Asian hate to the tumultuous election year, we have gone through intense mental strain that continues to affect us to this day. Because of this, many individuals are experiencing forms of trauma that are often difficult to identify.
Maria Hamilton Abegunde, founding director of The Graduate Mentoring Center and faculty member in African American and African Diaspora Studies, along with Randall Roper, an associate professor of genetics in the Department of Biology at IUPUI, and Tabitha Hardy, interim assistant vice chancellor for graduate education, have come together to create a trauma resource website to supply resources for those experiencing trauma.
“In our monthly meetings at The University Graduate School, we began a conversation about trauma,” Abegunde said. “The need to provide resources for graduate students to not only talk about trauma but perhaps how to recognize trauma within themselves and their communities came out of those meetings.”
James Wimbush, dean of The University Graduate School, invited the three of them to co-chair a task force bringing together their unique expertise. Abegunde’s expertise lies in memory, trauma, and healing specifically around racial, sexual, and historical violence. While Hardy focuses on recruitment, retention, and programmatic efforts to support students, and Roper—who provided a well-rounded and novice perspective.
“I appreciated working with Abegunde and Tabitha,” Roper said. “Abegunde has such a wealth and depth of knowledge in this topic I felt like I was learning so much. Tabitha often mentors me on how to deal with these sensitive topics. I appreciated working with both of them.”
In addition to the three co-chairs, members of the IU Bloomington and IUPUI campuses comprise the committee. “We have such expertise on all these topics, and I value what members of our community have done. Both on the research and services levels in trying to help faculty, staff, and students understand what we are going through, how we are getting through it, and how we move to the next point,” Roper said.
Abegunde notes that some individuals may have trouble moving past this moment as we make our way out of the pandemic. Helping someone recognize there are things out of their control and providing a community of resources created by individuals familiar with trauma theoretically and in practice can inspire people to move forward.
“The resources provide information that you need to know about trauma to recognize and understand that you are: One, not alone. Two, should not be alone while undergoing this. And three, that some practices and processes can help you better understand what is happening to you physically, spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally.” Abegunde said.
“We realized that people didn’t know how to have those conversations with students. We wanted to provide a resource for them so they can be well equipped to have those kinds of discussions,” Hardy said. “Because we have lived through these experiences, you assume everyone who you’ve talked to has experienced some form of trauma and that they bring their whole selves to whatever spaces they’re in.”
These resources come from what Abegunde describes as a trauma-informed approach, which begins with understanding the physical, social, and emotional impact of trauma on the individual, their communities, and the professionals who help them. Abegunde often prefers a healing-informed approach, which views trauma, not as an individual isolated experience but highlights the ways trauma and healing are collectively experienced. She notes that when experiencing global traumas that further exacerbate national, familial, and local traumas, it’s important to see where they intersect and see their impact on the future.
“By taking a trauma-informed approach, we acknowledge that the trauma is happening or has happened, the long-term impact of that trauma is often unseen, and that you may need to acknowledge how it is impacting you,” Abegunde said.
The trauma resource page features various resources to support the IU community in recognizing, defining, and supporting the healing associated with trauma and can be found by following this link.