Black Girl Magic: Destigmatizing mental health

Why do you think talking about mental health (MH) and seeking treatment is stigmatized within the Black Community?

I think it is stigmatized because growing up with Christianity we can just rely on God and this mindset that God can cure everything, “to just pray on it” (I heard that so many times) but sometimes it can feel like those prayers aren’t working and then you get angry and question your faith. And so, a lot of times it is like what am I supposed to do then?

Do you remember when your MH started to play a role in your life?

I think one of the most impactful moments was when my cousin was admitted to the hospital for attempting suicide. That took a toll on me at a young age. Self-care wasn’t talked about when I was younger, and I feel as a Black child growing up in an all-Black household with a single mom, I was constantly told that “we are strong women of God and we got this” and that we just had to “fight it”. I realized though that I can’t just “fight it” that I actually need to talk to someone or to others.

Given our current political climate, do you feel as though your voice has been more apparent?

During this movement of Black bodies and Brown bodies coming together it has been moving and encouraging. Black women are the ones that are struggling the most right now because people could care less about us. We have never truly been cared for or loved for. That really took a toll on me, and I had to take a step back (from social media) and just talk to friends and older peers because I was really struggling. I even remember during that time reading this Malcom X quote about how the Black woman is the most mistreated and that really hit me too. That’s when I knew I had to take a step back even further and really talk to someone because I was in a place of hurt, and the realization of this in conjunction to everything within the movement as it became louder and more pronounced was really hard for me. On one hand, yes my my voice is getting louder… but also I need to take care of me too right now. That’s why I haven’t watched a lot of movies (and media) of Black bodies/ Brown bodies getting killed because my MH can’t handle that.

How do you find yourself in spaces that’re predominantly white? Do you find yourself more on edge? I feel that it definitely has been harder, but also knowing that I need to be a little bit gentler with myself and give myself grace. This season I realized how many White friends I have, and I realized “who are my White friends that will stick up for me when I’m in a situation where someone has wronged me or when something has happened” …. “Who are those friends that will say that’s wrong” especially when my voice is shaking and weary. Which has made it hard thinking about that some of those friends aren’t going to say shit. It is not that I am being okay with it, but more so knowing that it is a possibility, and working through those spaces and just knowing when to take a step back.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about being the “Strong Black Woman”, what does that mean to you? What a strong Black woman means is knowing that it is okay to not be a “strong Black woman” and to diminish that type of mindsight. Because…YES, we are strong, YES, we are Black and beautiful BUT we have also struggled, and we are hurting especially during this time. It is okay to get help and receive help. I know for me personally it was hard at first but now I’m okay with it.