Dr. Joy DeGruy at EvCC

          Dr. Joy DeGruy is an eminent educator, nationally and internationally renowned researcher, author and presenter on matters of race, culture, and education. She is also a renowned author of a book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, and the newly released, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: The Study Guide. This book addresses the impacts of trauma on African descendants in America. About her book, Susan Taylor, Editorial Director of Essence Magazine says that “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is a master work…Her book is the balm we need to heal ourselves and our relationships.”

            On Black History Month, Dr. Joy DeGruy visited Everett Community College on February 20, 2013 to present Morning and Evening lecture. Her Morning lecture was at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Evening lecture began at 6 p.m. after light appetizers. A student Feven welcomed Dr. DeGruy with her beautiful poem and a follow up guitar play by another student Martin Creed. Dr. Sandra Fowler Hill, Vice President of college Administration, addressed the audience, Dr. Betty Cobbs, and Chief guest Dr. Joy DeGruy. After that, two student ambassadors Raven and Nigel introduced and invited Dr. DeGruy on stage for presenting lecture.

            Dr. DeGruy started her lecture with the post-traumatic stress disorder and her book post-traumatic slave syndrome. She shared a quote of Mahatma Gandhi “Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.”

She showed lots of pictures of slavery. She showed a picture in which, Statue of Liberty was holding broken chains in her left hand. According to Joy Degruy, chains are now at the feet of the Statue of Liberty. She also showed the pictures of death cell for African men and women, cape coast slave, males’ dungeon cape coast, symbols carved in death cell. 

“Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of humanity,” said Dr. Joy DeGruy, “We are from the culture, who worships the intellect.” She quoted a racist Thomas Jefferson “Black smells bad and were physically unattractive, required less sleep, were dumb, cowardly and incapable of feeling grief.” According to Dr. DeGruy, our thoughts create our reality in our minds and thus in our lives. Lecture ended with lots of applause.