Black Lives Matter

By: Austin Knight, MA, LLPC, TLLP

Art by Jasmyn Arnold

My name is Austin Knight, I am a lot of things but the first thing I am every morning I wake up is Black. Frankly, it is the one true constant about me. Gender, sexuality, fashion, favorite color; those things all could shift and change over time. My Blackness is a constant no matter where I am or what I do. I am a Black therapist, a Black anime fan, a Black cosplayer, a Black gardener. It is just part of who I am. 

I want to make it clear what I am trying to communicate here: Black lives matter. 

Black people have been oppressed for centuries and continue to be oppressed today; it doesn’t matter if we are a 17-year-old walking home with skittles, or a 26-year-old seated in the comfort of our own home with our partner. Our bodies are beaten and destroyed every day in this world by the police. Recently folks have been rising in protest, this isn’t something new but the energy around it is different from other uprisings and protests of recent years. This shift has been both exciting and terrifying for me, exciting that real change may come for my people, and terrifying knowing how hard society will fight to maintain its status quo it has had for so long; I know rooting out anti-Blackness will create danger for my people this terrifies me. We are in danger of being killed by police, our own military being deployed against, all feeding the beast that is White Supremacy.  

Being a therapist during this time is especially complex for me. I am a Black therapist, but like many services my people are underserved. I try doing all I can to alleviate that barrier but most of my clients are still white. To be a Black therapist with mostly white clients right now has proven to be a different challenge altogether I have had clients voice how they feel complicated having me as their therapist, clients that are also committed to rooting out anti-Blackness that feel they’re placing a burden on me by having me provide them therapy; but also understanding very much that seeing them is how I make a living after all. This has created interesting interactions between myself and clients, where they check in with me wanting to know how I am doing more so than usual. All the same, I know my work can create long-lasting societal good, because again I am a Black therapist. My Blackness does not leave when I go into a session, I do not shy away from it, I do not allow clients to make anti-Black statements, when appropriate I will educate and always I will try providing a healing space for my clients. 

My name is Austin Knight, I am Black, my life matters. 

I hope you can understand that what my people are seeking is nothing more than feeling safe in our community, feeling safe when we go out for a drink, feeling safe walking home from the store, we want to feel safe in our own homes.