To say I am moved by this conversation and project by Phil Allen, Jr. would be an understatement. Phil Allen, Jr. is an author, speaker, filmmaker, PhD candidate, friend, and incredibly generous advocate. When, as an adult, he first heard the truth about his grandfather’s tragic death that took place in 1953, he knew the silence was killing, not only his own family, but hundreds of thousands of other African American families dealing with similarly haunting pasts. The racial violence that has come to the surface again in recent years is not a resurging of a phenomenon that took a break, but a revealing of events that never slowed down. To paraphrase Dr. Mark Labberton in his endorsement of Phil’s book, the story of Phil’s family is unique and all too familiar.
In Open Wounds, a book and documentary, Phil tells of his family’s story of racial violence and its traumatic effects. What happened in Phil’s family is beyond devastating, but the horror does not have the victory here – hope has the final word.
Mentioned in this episode:
Open Wounds documentary
Open Wounds: A Story of Racial Tragedy, Trauma, and Redemption by Phil Allen Jr.
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Episode 087 Phil Armstrong of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission
Episode 042 with Gary Wardlaw of The Relationship Clinic, therapist specializing in racial trauma
Episode 081 with A.D. Thomason, author of Permission to Be Black: My Journey with Jay-Z and Jesus