May
is Mental Health Month. I don’t know the
origin of this designation but I’m sure it had
well-meaning people involved. For Black folks
living in this country, every day needs to be
a day of awareness about how we transcend our
intergenerational trauma and thrive as sane
and healthy human beings. Every day we must
check ourselves, not just one month out of the
year.
Mental health
includes our
emotional, psychological, and social
well-being. It
affects how we think, feel, and act. It
determines how we handle stress, how we relate
to others, and how we make decisions. Your
mental state can affect how the day will go
and ultimately, what kind of life you will
have.
Our overall health does not
develop in a vacuum. Racial capitalism creates
inhuman and unhealthy conditions that drive us
to the brink. It has systematically destroyed
our family structures that once protected and
supported our well-being. Laws, policies and
practices are designed to control and inhibit
our progress as both humans and citizens.
Black people are bombarded with anti-Black
messages from birth that daily seep through
our subconsciousness over time - until we
actually believe that we are the unworthy
ones, unfit for civilized society. The truth
is, we are worthy and U.S. society is
far from being civilized.
When
I look around my community, the results of the
toll of living in America is evident. We wear
our unhealthiness on the outside and that
which cannot readily be seen, comes out in our
behaviors. We live in environmentally
compromised neighborhoods which subjects us to
chemicals and other harmful agents that impact
our quality of life. Poverty and violence grip
our lives.
This
is a nation of overweight, anxious,
sleep-deprived people. For Black folks, the
outcomes are consequential. According to the
Center for Disease Control, nearly half of
Black folks are obese. For my sisters, the
statistics are grimmer. Four out of five us
are categorized as overweight or obese, the
highest rate of any other grouping. This is
not just a matter of body image; this is a
critical factor in the quality of life and our
very life expectancy.
The death rate for African
Americans is higher than whites for heart
diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, pneumonia,
diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and of course, homicide.
This makes us a target for the pharmaceutical
vampires who keep us medicated. The ways in
which we self-medicate to deal with our
circumstances are destructive to ourselves and
our community. Structural racism perpetuates
disparities that make it easy to predict our
quality of life and how and when we die.
All the outward
signs are clear. The statistics are
compelling. And yet for many in the Black
community, it can be incredibly challenging to
discuss the topic of our overall health,
especially mental health. This fear could
prevent people from seeking mental health care
when they really need it. Only one in three African Americans who need
mental health services receives it.
Even if we
break the silence to face our psychological
reality and decide we need professional help,
there are objective barriers. In 2024, sadly,
there is still the stigma of being labeled
“crazy.” There is a righteous distrust of the health
care system. The demand for culturally
competent providers outstrips the current
supply. The cost of paying for mental health
services is often prohibitive.
Black
people of African descent must call in the
wisdom of our ancestors. Black healers are
adapting ancestral modes of healing our
community, but we need to take it to scale.
There are simply not enough mental health
professionals to help us deal with what we are
going through in 2024.
Black
people must understand that our mental,
spiritual and physical health are inseparable.
Our approach to health must be comprehensive
and holistic. It cannot be left to those who
either monetize or weaponize our health.
Healing ourselves, our families and our
communities must be integrated, intentional
and simultaneous. Black folks must be aware of
our mind, body and spirit every single day. We
will come to realize that being of sound mind
and body in this country is a revolutionary
act.
