Racism, Recovery, and the Right to Heal
As a Black woman, a mother, a community servant, and the founder of Recovery is Essential (RIE), I’ve witnessed firsthand the heavy toll addiction takes on our people — not just individually, but generationally. But addiction doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s born of pain, shaped by history, and fueled by systems designed to dehumanize.
Racism is more than a social construct; it is a constant process of invalidation — especially for African Americans who have inherited the disease of addiction.
Our stories are often erased. Our pain is overlooked or criminalized. And our communities are left without access to the resources that could bring healing. Far too often, addiction in Black communities is met with judgment rather than compassion, with punishment rather than treatment, with barriers rather than support.
This is not accidental. Racism, whether through housing discrimination, mass incarceration, unequal healthcare, or the war on drugs, has systematically denied Black and Brown people access to recovery — access to healing. It has told generations of us that we are broken, unworthy, and incapable of change. That is a lie.
At Recovery is Essential, we exist to tell the truth.
We believe that recovery is not just about sobriety — it’s about reclaiming identity, rebuilding dignity, and being seen in the fullness of our humanity. We create safe and validating spaces where people can heal without shame. We host Sober Soirees to celebrate the joy of recovery. We convened working groups to build recovery housing rooted in equity and community care. We train and empower local leaders who carry this work forward.
We don’t just believe recovery is essential — we live it. And we believe that healing is our birthright.
But healing cannot happen in silence. It cannot happen in the shadows. It requires us to speak, to organize, to demand systems that are trauma-informed, racially just, and centered on true restoration.
If we are to break the cycles of addiction and injustice, we must tell the full truth: That racism is an addiction in itself — one that society must recover from — and that our people have the right to heal, to rise, and to thrive.
This is why I do the work. This is why RIE exists. We are more than a program. We are a movement — and we will not be silent.
With over 30 years of experience in social community activism and organizing, Stephani Register is dedicated to driving positive change. As an Urban Planner for the City of Trenton, she focuses on social equity and land development issues, ensuring fair and inclusive growth within the city, exclusively to social equitable development, neighborhood renaissance and housing for all.
Stephani is an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, serving as the Worship Director and a Certified Evangelist. She is also the Founder in Residence of Recovery is Essential (RIE), a movement dedicated to creating safe and brave spaces for individuals living a sober life through Sober Soirees. RIE serves as the anchor for the Mercer Trauma-Informed Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (TI-ROSC), bringing together a multi-sector network of representatives across Mercer County. One Board she is most proud and that is New Jersey Coalition Addiction for Recovery Support (NJCARS), where she is Co-Chair. Above all, she is a proud mother of three professional women and a loving grandmother to six grandchildren.
