01/21/2025
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
One disappointment is that while the CDC reported that last year, total overdose deaths in the US decreased for the first time since 2018, overdose deaths among Black communities increased. Since 2015 the overdose rate among Black men has more than tripled on the national level. Here at home, I’m sure we can all think of someone lost to overdose. We can all feel the spaces left empty where they once stood.
We cannot celebrate progress until that progress includes ALL. Overdose deaths are preventable, but until the deep-rooted impacts of racial disparities are addressed, we will continue to be disappointed. Systemic issues like housing, healthcare, incarceration, generational trauma, environmental disaster response, compounded grief, the War on Drugs, and stigma around drug use all make it feel like there’s a lot we are up against. But with infinite hope we can take steps toward putting an end to overdose in our community and declaring victory over injustice.
We can demonstrate our infinite hope together by talking more openly about drug use. It is not a moral failing. We can dismantle the judgment we carry toward people who look different from us, were raised different than us, and people who use drugs. We are all doing our best to get by.
We can embrace and expand services KNOWN to combat overdose in an equitable and just way. Carry naloxone in case you are called upon to respond when a neighbor is in distress. Visit your local Harm Reduction organization to learn more and get involved. Participate in direct action.
Shine a light, be a light, and embody the infinite hope that Dr. King spoke of in heart and in action.
