
Grief Comes Back Again and Again. So Can Love.
How remembrance, music, and personal tributes can help us live with loss
There is something especially beautiful about the hip-hop classic They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Released in 1992, the [...]
Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron: 10 Affirmations on Deserving Respect for Survivors
Gil Scott-Heron: A Man Who Understood That Respect Begins With Recognizing Humanity
Gil Scott-Heron (1949â2011) was an American poet, musician, author, and social commentator who understood that respect was about far more than [...]

Behind the Wall by Tracy Chapman: When a Woman’s Cries for Help Are Heard, but Help Never Comes
Some songs stay with us because they are beautiful. Others stay with us because they tell a truth that society has spent generations trying not to hear.
In 1988, Tracy Chapman released a song called âBehind the Wallâ on her s [...]

Before âI Am Womanâ Became an Anthem, Women Were Fighting to Be Heard: The Story Behind Helen Reddy’s Song
The history behind Helen Reddy's 1972 anthem, the rights women were fighting for, and what her story can teach Survivors about independence, solidarity, and finding their voices.
In 1972, Australian singer Helen Reddy release [...]
Who Did You Have to Become to Survive? A Gentle Introduction to Jungian Self-Reflection for Survivors
Exploring the parts of ourselves we learned to hide, the roles we learned to play, and the freedom to discover who we are today.
Sometimes we become so accustomed to being a certain kind of person that we forget we had other [...]
đ Black Sitcom Halloween Episodes: The Ultimate Watchlist for a Cozy Night In or a Watch Party With Friends
From Martin and Living Single to Girlfriends, Family Matters, Abbott Elementary, and more.
There is something special about revisiting the television shows that made us laugh growing up. The familiar theme songs, the characte [...]

Because They Refused Jim Crow, We Walk Through Different Doors
October 7, 1955: Ella Fitzgerald Arrested After Performing Before an Integrated Audience in Houston
We live inside freedoms that somebody else had to be brave enough to imagine. I am grateful for the people who challenged Jim C [...]

10 Surprising Lessons for Survivors from Gloria Gaynorâs I Will Survive
When most of us hear Gloria Gaynor sing âI Will Survive,â we hear certainty.
We hear a woman who has figured something out. She sounds like she knows where the door is, knows she deserves better and knows she can live without [...]

10 Lessons from The Forever Tree for Black Women, Girls, and Survivors Who Have Learned to Play Small
There is something quietly radical about The Forever Tree.
Tawny Bennett, played by Olivia Washington, is a young Black woman living during the Harlem Renaissance. She is intelligent, knowledgeable and working as an antiquari [...]
10 Lessons for Survivors from Sandy âPepaâ Dentonâs Letâs Talk About Pep
Sandy âPepaâ Denton is known to millions as one of the women who helped change hip-hop. But Letâs Talk About Pep tells another story underneath the records, performances, fame, laughter, relationships and celebrity encounters. D [...]

Tammi Terrell’s Story Reminds Us That Survival Is More Than Staying Alive
When people speak about Tammi Terrell, they often begin with how young she was when she died.
Twenty-four.
They talk about the brain tumor. The interrupted career. The songs she never got to record. The future that was cut sho [...]

7 Reasons Survivors May Want to Read Taraji P. Hensonâs Around the Way Girl
Sometimes the books that stay with Survivors aren't the ones written specifically about surviving.
Sometimes they are simply somebody telling the truth about her life.
Taraji P. Henson's memoir, Around the Way Girl, was pu [...]

Angie Stone, Roberta Flack & Gwen McCrae: The Power of Their Musical Legacy
Angie Stoneâs Music Pulled Us ThroughâAnd Now, Sheâs Gone.
Angie Stone has passed, and somehow, it still doesnât feel real.
During one of my lowest valleys, her music became my guide, my comfort, my reassurance that I [...]

The Wishing Tree With Alfre Woodard: A Beautiful Movie About Finding Your Way Home + Full Movie
Sometimes you want a movie that doesn't demand everything from you.
Something you can put on while folding clothes, answering emails, working on a project, cooking dinner, or finally dealing with that pile of papers that has [...]

How Singing is Surprisingly Good for Your Health
There's a vocal teacher on Youtube that I love, and I wanted to share her with you. Kristel Cherelle's approach reminds me of our choir teachers back in school who had faith in our ability to sing if only we understood technique [...]

10 Lessons Women Can Take From Star Jones, Al Reynolds, and Everybody Who Had Something to Say
There was a time when Star Jones and Al Reynolds seemed to be everywhere.
The proposal came at the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Then came the enormous wedding, the vendors, the publicity, the photographs, the commentary and eventu [...]

7 Survival Lessons From Eve: Your Life Is Allowed to Have More Than One Act
Some chapters prove you can survive. Others remind you that survival was never supposed to be the whole story.
I love Eve's music.
Let me get that out of the way because, obviously. Tambourine. Love Is Blind. Let Me Blow Y [...]

Vanessa Williams Refused to Become the Worst Thing People Said About Her
Deal with yourself as a individual, worthy of respect, and make everyone else deal with you the same way. -Nikki Giovanni
It was 1984, and Vanessa Williams was surrounded.
Only months earlier, she had made history as the f [...]

Some People Don’t Wait for Affirmation. They Give It to Themselves.
They did not wait for the world to settle the question of their worth. They kept something sacred for themselves: the authority to know who they were.
There is an old story about Diana Ross. "Call her Miss Ross."
[...]

There Are No Children Here: When Survival Makes a Child Grow Up Too Soon
In 1993, Oprah Winfrey starred in a television movie called There Are No Children Here. She played LaJoe Rivers, a Black mother raising her children in Chicagoâs Henry Horner Homes, a public housing development where violence, p [...]
AFFIRMATIONS AND SELF LOVE
My Pain Is Not a Public Spectacle
SurvivorAffirmations.com | Inspired by WeSurviveAbuse.com
You are not a headline.You are not a punchline.You are not here for a [...]
HEALING JOURNEY
Artist Jossie Harris Thacker: Building On Where You Come From â Without Going To War With It
Some of us were taught that âhealingâ means disowning everything that shaped us.
The accent.The neighborhood.The elders.The songs.The faith.The grit. [...]
⨠âYouâre Not Brokenâ: Affirmations for Survivors Living with PTSD
My mind is not brokenâit is doing what it had to do to survive the unspeakable.
I honor the parts of me that feel chaotic, confused, or [...]
Reclaiming the Fire: Brown Fat, Survival Mode & the Body That Still Loves You
Youâve been surviving.
Youâve been carrying the weight of silence, systems, sorrow, and staying ready for the next hitâemotional or otherwise.
So if [...]
A Life Well Played: The Legacy of Hal Williams
clip originally shared by @DjCobreezy on X.com
What stands out to me about Hal Williams is that he represented something important in Black tel [...]
Self-Care That Rebuilds You â Without Feeling Like a Lie
Self-Care That Rebuilds You â Without Feeling Like a Lie
Some days, surviving is the win. If youâve been through abuse, the language of âself-car [...]
10 Gentle Ways to Grow in Self-Awareness After Trauma
đż For the Survivor learning to listen inwardâfor the first time or all over again.
For many Survivors, self-awareness is not just about knowing who [...]
CONFIDENCE/POWER/RESILIENCE

Gary, Indiana Needs Us Right Now: Here Is How You Can Help
Gary, Indiana is hurting.
On August 11, 2026, powerful storms tore through Northwest Indiana with winds reported as high as 99 miles per hour. [...]
When the World Shakes, So Do WeâOn Purpose
There will be days when the grief is too loud.The news too cruel.The silence too sharp.The body too heavy.
And stillâWe dance.
Not to escape.But t [...]
Joy Is a Boundary Too
⌠[SurvivorAffirmations.com] âŚ
Dear Survivor,
Some people wonât try to argue with your words.Theyâll try to disturb your joy.
Theyâll show up wit [...]
She Almost Missed This
She almost didnât go. The weight of yesterdayâs battles clung to her like heavy wet clothes. But she put on her shoes anyway.
On the walk, she saw th [...]
HEALTHING JOURNEY
For the One Who Feels Ashamed of How She Survived
Some of us look back on how we coped, and the shame rushes in.
You didnât tell.You froze.You smiled through it.You went back.You blamed yourself.You [...]
Unlock the Power of Dreadlocks #dreadlocks #ancienthistory #naturalhair (Shadow.Seeker4 on TikTok)
@shadow.seekers4 Unlock the Power of Dreadlocks #dreadlocks #ancienthistory #naturalhair ⏠original sound - Shadow Seekers
https://surv [...]
đŹď¸ You Are No Longer Required to Calm the Storm
A Healing Post for Those Learning to Let Chaos Pass Without Joining It
There is a point in your healing journey when something sacred shifts:You stop [...]
The 12 Somatic Knots of Trauma â The Complete Map from Sacrum to Jaw (and How to Untie Them)
updated from March 24, 2024
Somatic healing is not just âtake a deep breath and calm down.â
Sometimes your body is holding a story your mout [...]
đś Choose Love, Joy, Hope (w/video)
đś Choose Love, Joy, Hope
Hate makes little ditties âshort, sharp, and forgettable.But joy?Joy makes songs that reach the bones.Songs that bring p [...]
She Is AMAZING
Hidden Black Film Herstory: Stompin at the Savoy | Directed by Debbie Allen
Sometimes Black womenâs films are praised for being ânice,â ânostalgic,â or âbeloved,â while the craft gets undercounted. Stompinâ at the Savoy was no [...]
đş You Are the Proof â Not the Problem
They said you were the problem.Too loud. Too soft. Too different. Too much.But the truth is, you were only ever too real for a world addicted to pre [...]
Denise Ho: đżOnce You See It, You Canât Go Back
âThe greatest gift in this life is always more of meâand I am not going back to less.â
Denise Ho was a singer.
A successful one.
She had:
[...]
Some People Don’t Wait for Affirmation. They Give It to Themselves.
They did not wait for the world to settle the question of their worth. They kept something sacred for themselves: the authority to know who they were. [...]
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen
Survivor Spotlight: Barbara J Hansen [...]
ART HEALS
Big Mama Thornton: I Stand Up for Myself As Long As I Can
elink.io | See Original
[...]
The Harlem Photos That Were Hidden for 40 Years
These photos are evidence of resilience.
In 1970, New York City was officially collapsing. The media called it "Fear City." But while the world saw [...]
đż Meghan Markle: Affirmations for Those Still Standing
I am still here, and that alone is a victory.
What tried to break me did not get the final word.
My spirit bends, but it does not [...]
đ Black Sitcom Halloween Episodes: The Ultimate Watchlist for a Cozy Night In or a Watch Party With Friends
From Martin and Living Single to Girlfriends, Family Matters, Abbott Elementary, and more.
There is something special about revisiting the televisi [...]
JOURNALING/WRITING IN A HEALTHIER WORLD
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