The Texas Association of Addiction Professionals firmly upholds values that support of our unique members and the clients they serve. TAAP will establish and sustain policies that promote understanding of the intersection of social, political, economic, and environmental practices and race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. All members are encouraged to strive for competence in understanding how these factors affect them professionally.
It is our goal to promote knowledge, awareness, and competence, not only within our organization, but throughout the state of Texas. TAAP will establish initiatives that increase the sensitivity and competence, as well as the professionalism, of our leaders and members, and build as well as sustain relationships with other professional organizations.
What is Professional Impact?
Professional Impact is anything ( race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, (dis)ability, age, religious commitment, or political perspective) that may impact your ability to work in a professional and conducive environment. The Professional Impact Committee promotes justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems. We want every TAAP member to feel and/or know they are welcome. Inclusion outcomes are met when you, your institution, and your program are truly inviting to all, and individuals are able to participate fully in the decision-making processes and development opportunities within an organization or group. All Addiction Professionals Must Rise to Meet This Challenge As a professional associatio,n we seek to make meaningful connections regardless of how someone may differ from us?
Pride and Prejudice: June recognizes both LBGTQ+ and Juneteenth
What is the significance of Juneteenth for Americans?
The Emancipation Proclamation, written by President Abraham Lincoln after three years of a bloody Civil War, declared all enslaved people in Confederate States legally free at midnight on Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country, awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom. Implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in areas still under Confederate control, delaying freedom for many, particularly in Texas. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. The westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom for enslaved people in Texas was officially announced on June 19, 1865, by Union troops in Galveston Bay, leading to the celebration of “Juneteenth” when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree.
A Celebration of Freedom and Recovery
Juneteenth marks our country’s second Independence Day. Although it has long been celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans. The legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times. In many ways the restitution of the enslaved relates to the recovery of those persons with the disease of addiction. Recovery gives the recovery community the opportunity to refresh and reframe their lives. Like the enslaved who were emancipated and with purpose and intention worked to change not just their lives, but also the lives of their families and children. The post-emancipation period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Much like the struggle of restructuring your life as you strengthen your recovery. As formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify so do those who are free to explore and reunify in the new positive aura of exploration and reconstruction in recovery. Rebuilding relationships with family, exploring and setting new goals or reviving goals for long term achievements like going to school, running for political office; or whatever you choose to reactivate, reinforce and reconstruct your life. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation
out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country. In contrast you have far less years of enslavement to addiction. Conquering your struggles and investing in your goals are possible and can result in positive, productive, and achievable long-term goals for a healthy and happy life.
Pride Quotes that make us Proud
· “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” — Marsha P. Johnson
· “We deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise.” — Elliot Page
· “Who you are is beautiful and amazing.” — Laverne Cox
· “Gender is who you are, and sexuality is who you want.” — C.N. Lester, “Trans Like Me: A Journey for All of Us”
· “Hope will never be silent.” — Harvey Milk
· “Cut the ending. Revise the script. The man of her dreams is a girl.” — Julie Anne Peters, “Keeping You a Secret”
· “When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.” — Barack Obama
· “Love is never wrong.” — Melissa Etheridge
· “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings
· “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” — Brené Brown, “The Gifts of Imperfection”
Written by Beveryly Gardner and Kimberly Scales