We recently connected with Robbie J. Atkinson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Robbie J. , thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I envision FIER being an organization that sends in-house mental health professionals to individuals that experience hate crimes across America, hosting events that yield hundreds of attendees who can unite for the purpose of solidarity and open their heart/mind to learning about racial literacy. I hope that FIER’s work will change the social climate of America–it may never fully eradicate racism, but I do believe it can still help hundred, if not millions, of people learn how to show love to communities that don’t look like them and heal their racial trauma.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Restoration is an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to educating our community about racial trauma and helping individuals to develop racial literacy. We focus on hosting discussions, art-centered events and workshops [in-person and live-streamed] that invite communities to discuss topics centering on inter-racial tension as well as overcoming racial trauma.

When it comes to race, in general, there’s a great amount of trepidation and resentment that tends to sit in the air. Pew Research Center revealed that the majority of conversations about race take place within a community rather than across communities. What’s worse is that when they do, further research has shown that they’re often stigmatized and make people come off as complainers, less like-able and parties are accused of shirking responsibility–there’s literally a social cost to discussing race which has made it easy for racism and White Supremacy to continue existing in American society. Futhermore, there are communities that face discrimination constantly as others live their entire lives never having to experience a fraction of that discrimination at all and that’s also part of the major disconnect when it comes to talking about race.

In some cases, minorities are met with overt racism–hate crimes, racial slurs, gate-keeping etc. But since the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s, American society has perpetuated a more subtle form of racism: through the criminal justice system, financial practices, environmental injustice and more. Today, when minorities talk about their lived experience, they tend to be met with the following responses: apathy and a general sense of comfortable detachment from the encounter, denial that stems from the unwillingness to emotionally process the damage that racism (in all forms) still causes, gaslighting that questions and discredits the receiver or sometimes even a defensive “colorblind” response emerges. These kinds of approaches only add further insult to the emotional and mental injury imposed from acute and chronic experiences with racism which can, over time, trigger cumulative trauma or PTSD.

That PTSD can manifest in the form of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, addiction or even a decontextualized “personality trait”. That’s what racial trauma is– a complex trauma that can span through generations and informs the way an individual responds to their environment and other people. Racial trauma can shape a person’s life without them even being aware of it.

On one hand, FIER exists to help minorities become aware of their trauma and analyze how that trauma influences their life while encouraging the practice of empathy towards other communities’ racial experience. On the other hand, we consider the social, systemic and historical factors that contribute to this trauma. For example, during our FIERside Chats, we call our audience to consider what racial gaslighting is, we’ve talked about micro-aggressions, being the only BIPOC in a predominantly White Institution, substance-based/social coping mechanisms associated with racial trauma and even facing backlash from your community when you take a stand as an ally.

In short, despite our mission and goal, we can’t promise that a person will be ever be completely “healed” of their trauma, but if we can offer our services to a hate crime victim, help a person recognize their trauma, or simply teach someone how they can offer more effective solidarity to their local BIPOC community, then we know that we’ve triggered an endless ripple of change that can impact generations.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

FIER’s first year was a challenge unlike any other for me. Aside from balancing another company and grappling with the death of my Dad, I was having to learn how to manage a team of academic researchers in a field that I had no degree or expertise in.

As my team was learning about FIER, I was learning right along side them–going through the trial-and-error process of setting up standard procedure for different aspects of the organization, figuring out how to automate, streamline, organize, and operate entirely online with volunteers stretched across America. Most importantly, I was constantly learning about racial trauma from different perspectives and was perplexed by the question of how to bring such an abstract concept to the forefront of an individual’s mind without them running away–talking about race is already uncomfortable [practically infuriating for some people] much less adding in the concept of emotional damage or traumatic experiences. However, like most endeavors, the first time is always the rockiest, after which time, things begin to get increasingly easier.

After a year in operation, I’ve got a better handle on just about everything that I struggled with at first. It really boiled down to a matter of time, honest reflection, openness to feedback and the willingness to try new (uncomfortable) methods that have brought us where we are today!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve dived into books like “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome” by Joy DeGruy, and even “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo for the sake of perspective and subject-matter; however, the one that really impacted me the most was “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M. R. Covey–a book assigned to me when I was a Special Education Paraprofessional for K-5 students a few years ago.

Looking at credibility and competence through the lens of trust alters the way you interact with and manage people. It allows you to hold your team to an incredibly high standard while equally balancing the extension of grace.

At the end of the day, FIER operates on a sense of trust — in our ability to help our community, in our ability to support/express gratitude towards our volunteers, in our volunteers’ ability to drive our research and assist their community through our events. What’s more, the racial tension within America is a direct result of a lack of trust in one another.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fieratlanta.org/
• Instagram: @fieratlanta
• Facebook: FIER – Atlanta
• Linkedin: Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Restoration
• Twitter: @fier_atl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6AS7gAmL9XjSMdnuInbgnQ