Why We Need To Be Talking About Black Mental Heath Now More Than Ever

Over the past few months, the black community has faced far too many tragic losses. It's no wonder our focus has been promoting the Black Lives Matter movement. But fighting for change should not be our only focus. We need to begin an open and honest conversation about black mental health.

Personally, the past few years have been very challenging. My grandfather and father passed away just outside a year of one another, and dealing with compounded grief in a grief illiterate society, has not been easy. When the death of Geroge Floyd first erupted on the news cycle, I felt as though someone had dropped an anvil on an already heavy heart. After spending some time on the frontlines protesting, I realized I was more emotionally exhausted than I expected to be. I decided to take a break from social media and spend some time in nature to heal and reset. I made emotional vulnerability, mindfulness, and healthy practices my priority. After only two days, I felt like a completely different person. Some of it had to do with the healing power nature possesses, but a lot of it came from allowing myself to disengage and process my emotions.

I feel like the Black community often makes the mistake of believing we have to be on the frontlines 24/7. And it's understandable why we feel that way. For some of us, it's the only way we can process our pain. For others, it's a way to channel our rage and frustration that we are still fighting this fight. For generations, white America has silenced black narratives. And now, in the age of social media, we have a chance to rectify that. But if we don't take the time we need to heal, we won't be able to continue the fight. I see it in the eyes of elderly black men and women who spent their entire lives fighting for justice and equality. I hear it in their voices when they tell stories of the police brutality they experienced in their youth. Some of them have resigned to the idea that things will never truly change. I believe this is because, after over 400 years of protest and fighting to be treated as human beings, we have not created enough spaces for the black community to process their grief and trauma.

If you are born black in America, you are born into generations of struggle and pain. Many of us have that pain carved into our ancestry. That in and of itself is highly traumatic. Now in the age of social media, we can share the histories that have swept under the rug. But many of those histories are tragic and triggering. Taking a break engaging directly with the movement is not selfish. Spending a week focusing on things that bring you joy is not detrimental to the cause. I want to remind the black community that honoring your mental wellbeing is resistance as well. I want to be a safe place to land for those of you who may be struggling to care for your mental health. I am in no way an expert, but if you need a shoulder, I am here. Feel free to message me, email me, comment on this post, DM me on Instagram. We need to hold each other up now more than ever. Please take the time you need to care for yourselves. Black brothers and sisters, I love you. I am here for you.