16th Annual Community Empowerment Through Black Men Healing Conference

Samuel Simmons Consulting has 33 years of experience specializing in practical, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed work dedicated to improving the health and wellness of men of color and their families. By utilizing a broad range of projects and strategies that promote educational and culturally sensitive trauma-informed initiatives focused on addressing African American male and community trauma as an alternative way of thinking about community building "from the inside out," not just "the outside in." By providing unique, innovative, culturally specific materials and services to promote self-improvement, empowerment, healing, and hope to the communities being serviced. And build collaborations with likely and unlikely partners to challenge systems and institutions inside and outside of communities of color that create barriers to healing and empowerment.

In 2009, the Community Empowerment Through Black Men Healing Conference called "Groundbreaking and Visionary" was started to provide an opportunity for meaningful community engagement of clinicians, advocates, and policymakers and access to national and local educators and community practitioners to create an environment for wellness, leadership, and "compassionate accountability." The overall goal is to improve the health and wellness of African American men and their families, making the larger community healthier and safer.

In recent years, we have offered technical assistance and culturally sensitive trauma-informed capacity-building training to organizations to support leadership and staff learning, awareness, and growth to improve diversity in outreach, programming, and staffing. By providing an opportunity to have open discussions and addressing blind spots linked to historical traditional policies and practices, conscious or unconscious biases are barriers to inclusive change.