P.E.A.C.H.E.S.

This past year Black women found themselves surviving the triple pandemics of COVID-19, racism, and misogynoir. After actively observing the lack of prioritization of Black women’s emotional safety and mental wellness within the collegiate environment, many of us went into action. Planet Venus Institute created “P.E.A.C.H.E.S.”, which stands for “Promoting Equity, Access, Culture, and Healing in Education Spaces”. This movement is centered around protecting the wellness and safety of Black women and promoting collective healing from racial trauma. Being a college student who is a Black woman, I can say firsthand that the educational environment is inherently oblivious to my emotional needs as well as my mental health and safety. I have always thought my career path would begin with advocating for the mental health of others, but it began with myself. With heavy assistance from Dr. V, she and I created a model for a space where Black women and nonbinary people can emotionally support one another, share opportunities, and get a sense of safety and mental wellness.

Being that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, we developed a space for this model to take place via the app, “Discord”. Our goal was to make this space as accessible, as this app can be accessed by phone, laptop, or tablet. This platform will allow us to communicate via text or video chat, and it features different channels that hold space for different topics such as emotional support, internship/networking opportunities, as well as self-care. Our hope is to build a community that spans across the nation, as we prioritize the mental wellness and safety of Black women, specifically college-age Black women, Black women working in college spaces, and Black women and non-binary people thriving in collegiate spaces.

Join us in fostering our collective community! Want to donate? Click here.