Healing Together: Deaunte Damper’s Journey of Recovery, Community, and Activism

Join host Carolyn Presnell on King County Recovery Conversations as she sits down with Deaunte Damper, an inspiring community activist and advocate. Damper shares his experiences with addiction, incarceration, and his journey to recovery. He opens up about the transformative moments in prison that led to his personal growth and the critical need for community support in policy-making for marginalized groups.

In this episode, Damper candidly discusses the stigma surrounding substance use in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and the importance of transparent self-care. Be inspired by Damper's advocacy work with VOCAL-Washington and the creation of his podcast, "We Live in Color," aimed at amplifying Black LGBTQ voices.

Resources from the episode:

• Connect with Deaunte Damper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deaunte-damper-138b61204/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 

• Learn more about VOCAL-Washington and the work they do here: https://wearepda.org/programs/vocal-wa/ 

• Discover Converge Media and Deaunte’s biweekly podcast, "We Live in Color" here: https://www.whereweconverge.com/we-live-in-color 

• Learn more about King County Recovery Coalition and the work they do ⁠here⁠: https://www.kcrecovery.org/  

• The King County Recovery Coalition is a regional coalition of the Washington Recovery Alliance (WRA). Learn more about the WRA and the work they do ⁠here⁠: https://www.washingtonrecoveryalliance.org/ 

• If you are experiencing substance, use disorder, problem gambling, and/or a mental health challenge, please visit the ⁠Washington Recovery Helpline⁠ for resources and a 24-hour helpline: https://www.warecoveryhelpline.org/ 

King County Recovery Conversations is a podcast on a mission to celebrate recovery and help break the stigma of addiction and mental health. In each episode, policy experts, program professionals, and those with lived experience join host Heather Venegas to share stories of hope, resilience, and healing in our community. Together, we’ll learn about the various pathways to recovery – and the services and support systems available to anyone impacted by addiction and mental health. Whether you're someone seeking recovery, someone in recovery, a family member or friend, or a healthcare professional, this podcast is for you.

Connect with King County Recovery Coalition ⁠online⁠, on Facebook (⁠@KingCountyRecoveryCoalition⁠), or on YouTube (⁠@KingCountyRecoveryCoalition⁠).

If you have feedback or show ideas, contact host Heather Venegas at ⁠heather@kcrecovery.org⁠.

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/king-county-recovery/message