As a new school year begins, our role as parents goes beyond homework and supplies. We must prepare our children to thrive in environments where bias and systemic oppression still exist. By listening to their experiences, affirming their identity, modeling resilience, and prioritizing our own mental health, we can equip them with the tools to stand tall, speak up, and take up the space they deserve.

April is a month of remembrance and action — National Minority Health Month, Black Women’s History Month, and Counseling Awareness Month. As a counselor, educator, and Black woman, I see this time as a call to lean into Ubuntu: I am because we are. Our youth carry both the grief and brilliance of being Black in a world that often devalues their existence. The truth is, healing cannot happen in isolation. It requires community — our elders, traditions, and ancestral wisdom.

Black parents of incarcerated youth face injustice, trauma, and isolation. CRESTSprogram offers support, healing, and a path to justice.