The more pain we endure, the stronger that we are. Is that not the sentiment that we have been taught to live by since we were born? One can argue that this same attitude is what has damaged our community the most. We’re to believe that the harder we work, the more we will be deemed successful. We must not show sadness or we are deemed to be weak. Or better yet, we must not tell our business that occurs in the home because Heaven forbid we as a community come together to share our similar struggles to weaken our family but actually connect with other families that are dealing with the same struggles and come together to find solutions to build together. This blog has been created in order for us a minority community to come together to share our stories, provide resources for us to get the health we need and also provide professional advise from individuals that work within the community of Mental Health Awareness. In order for us to see change, we must be the change that we seek.
As a black male paired with my stature, I experience racial trauma daily. Racial trauma has subconsciously shaped my social norms across a variety of situations and taught me how to shrink to make others feel more comfortable and safer. I have realized that the more I embrace my own culture despite my level of education, my ability to code switch, friendly disposition, and bright smile I am still often viewed as a potential threat. Something as simple as driving, especially at night can be a highly anxiety inducing situation. Just the sight of any flashing lights (break lights, Christmas lights, blinking lights) or sounds of sirens (fire trucks, ambulance, police) causes a litany of physical and emotional responses. Thoughts of becoming another sensationalized news story, widowing my wife, leaving my daughters without a father or my mom having to bury her only son plague my mind and run rampant. Imagine a 15-minute drive to work with a 5-minute cool down period in the parking
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