JAMEELAH HANIF WANTS TO BREAK CYCLE OF TRAUMA
She envisions a safe space where youth have the opportunity to feel secure
Filmmaker Allison Anders once said, “Trauma creates one of four types of people — victims, rescuers, or perps — and if you’re really lucky and really strong and really brave, survivors.”
Vallejo resident Jameelah Hanif wants to be the catalyst to transform trauma into resilient survival. An expert in early-childhood education and psychology, she sees unresolved trauma as an emotional octopus, reaching its tentacles across all aspects of life and community for those who experience it. Vallejo is no stranger to trauma.
“We have so much violence that’s occurring right now that’s generational, that’s retaliatory,” she says. “I want to break this cycle.”
Hanif’s day-care program was honored with a “Best Of” nod in the 2019 Times-Herald readers’ poll. Her passion for the mental health of children and young people stems from her degree in early childhood education, but also her upbringing in Oakland which pushed her to specialize in violence intervention and counseling.
When asked to write about her own childhood experiences for a course she took, she returned to Oakland and had a fresh perspective on her childhood — but going back there was shocking to her.
“We had to pull up memories, good and bad, that impacted us,” she says.
She headed back to West Oakland, and turning off the freeway, she reflected on the blight that she saw.
"We have so much violence that’s occurring right now that’s generational, that’s retaliatory. I want to break this cycle.
— Jameelah Hanif
“Oh my gosh, there was trash — it was horrible down there. I was like, ‘Wow, I grew up in this environment.’ When you grow up in it, it just becomes normalized.”
Hanif sees the same circumstances for kids in Vallejo. Her mother was prudent enough to get her enrolled in a school in Emeryville, where she was exposed to a diverse student body but also a life-changing after school center — the kind of place she is determined to create right here.
“It was that center where I was able to be exposed to things outside of the environment I grew up in,” she says. “We went on field trips and things like that, too. That center is what changed my life. And Vallejo needs that.”
Hanif envisions a safe space where youth have the opportunity to feel included, accepted, important, respected, and secure. Studies have shown that even one positive mentor or adult in a child’s life can change their trajectory.
Councilmember Hakeem Brown has been a big influence on her drive to make a difference, she says.
“He inspired me to speak up,” she says. “And I’m speaking up more and more because of the leader that he is… he really empowers other people. He makes people want to be a part of the movement to help the youth here in Vallejo. I saw how serious he was and how passionate he is about our youth because he came out of Vallejo. “
Hanif says she has definitely faced pushback from some people for her support of Brown, who has been criticized for his record of domestic violence. But she says she also doesn’t see those same people doing anything for young people like Brown.
“If you don’t have a solution, back off,” she says. “He is our voice. He says things that people aren’t able to say because they can’t attend council meetings; they are too tired or they have to work.”
A National Institute of Health study showed that 49 percent of inner-city youth who had experienced trauma exhibited signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. But the trauma isn’t just about the children impacted, it also affects parents, law enforcement officers, and the community at large.
Hanif brings up slain Vallejo Officer Jim Capoot, who was killed in the line of duty. That was traumatic for his colleagues, she said, which may have resulted in more officers acting out of fear. But this same reaction to trauma and the ripple effects of crime may be why members of the community carry guns to protect themselves as well. Because trauma damages the nervous system, she says. The damaged nervous system will always be on high alert.
“They are scared for their lives. We need to start talking to each other and we need to listen to each other.”
It’s this dialogue that Hanif tries to bring to her live weekly discussion, called Bounceback Wednesdays (look for past episodes on YouTube). Next Wednesday she will host Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams and Officer Kenny Trimble. The broadcasts are an effort to inspire change-making, encourage advocacy, and discuss the policy changes needed to address Vallejo’s systemic issues.
Her main goal is to create her child and family development center and she is working hard to bring it to fruition. She envisions finding the right space and then partnering up with other organizations to offer activities, creative arts, drama, music, physical activities, nutritious meals, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and even field trips.
Hanif becomes overwhelmed with emotion and teary when she talks about helping kids see new places that others take for granted.
“Kids out here in Vallejo… we have a Marine World right here, but how many kids have really been able to be exposed and have that fun? Can they even afford to go there? How many?”
Her next steps involve raising enough capital to open up her space and also continuing to forge relationships with others who have the same goal.
“We need the center, that’s my dream, that’s my purpose. Everything that I do is for these children.”
Bounceback Wednesday will happen at 6 p.m. on April 7, live on Jameelah Hanif’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/jameelah.hanif.