SAMHSA Conference

Well it's the weekend once again. And time for Halloween!! I have to say that I had a pretty great week. Wednesday through Friday I attended a national conference here in DC put on by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) about homelessness. Very cool, there were people there from across the US, both professionals and formerly homeless people. Friday I attended a full day session about racism that I really appreciate. We spent a lot of time sharing experiences and doing activities. I found that although the context was specific to the african-american experience in the US, it was very applicable to other contexts (eg. Saskatchewan white-native relations). I don't know if I was able to go away with many concrete tools for working to eliminate racism - it's just so complex and most often not blatantly obvious but very insidious. I guess it's just important to recognise how pervasive racism continues to be in our society and to recognise that we are all part of the problem (and thus all need to be part of the solution). Anyways, thoughts that I am still working through in my own head. I would be open to comments or thoughts. I hope that all are doing well. Halloween party tonight!! My housemates and I are dressing up as pageant contestants (Miss Conception, Miss Matched and Miss Fortune)!!