Epyana Smith is a Brooklyn Native, who goes by Epy. For high school she attended a liberal arts boarding school, Buxton School, in Williamstown, MA. While at Buxton she was given the opportunity to study activism, education, and politics in El Paso, Texas, Detroit, MI, D.C, and Nicaragua. Currently she attends Mount Holyoke College and is apart of the class of 2018. She is double majoring in Psychology and African Studies and plans on pursuing a Masters and PhD in Psychology. Epy, hopes to use what she learns to focus on issues of mental illness within low-income communities of color.
Blog Post List
August 8, 2016
Growing up my parents answered every question, except the ones about Santa Claus and when our next trip to Toy’s R US would be, with the truth. So, when I asked them about racial inequality in second grade while doing my “Ancestry Project” for my predominately White school (P.W.I.), again my question was met with truth. My parents explained to me the impacts of slavery and Jim Crow on current practices and ideas in the United States and at seven, I understood. Later that week, I was last to present my ancestry project and as I recounted my family's’ history I could feel the energy of the room...
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August 8, 2016
A month and four days have passed and I’m still on edge. On July 4th my family and I traveled to Carowinds, a very popular amusement park that borders the line between North and South Carolina. As a Black American I have never believed in actively celebrating a holiday based on freedoms not extended to my forefathers. However, I do believe in taking advantage of a day off of work and time with family. When the opportunity to travel to Carowinds, get on rides and enjoy fireworks presented itself, I was ecstatic. My family is big on staying together when we travel to large public spaces. The...
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June 19, 2015
We just came for a birthday party,” pleaded one Black male teen that had been forced to the floor. I watched the video from Craig Ranch North Community Pool in McKinney, Texas four times. Honestly, when I first saw the video I thought it was a joke. With the overly excited officer doing a jump and roll behind a tree only to run back and forth trying to gather all the Black boys he could find, I thought the video was a parody. Until I heard the boys' pleas and watched an officer force the face of a Black teenage girl into the grass only to rest his knee in her back - as if she wasn’t obviously...
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June 18, 2015
Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection, charity, and prayer for Muslims around the world. This year, Ramadan starts on June 17th and ends on July 17th. In our newly released Healthy Ramadan Guide , in partnership with Values Partnerships and Muslim Wellness Foundation , Kameelah Rashad, president and founder of the Muslim Wellness Foundation says: " Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to engage holistically in an assessment of our spiritual, physical and emotional health" MomsRising would like to celebrate all of the moms celebrating Ramadan and share the stories of four amazing...
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