Black Mental Health Matters Series
Series Introduction
During the reemergence of the Black Lives Matters Movement I began like many others to again think about all the many ways our country needed to change in order to address the state of black people in America and the violence on our black bodies and minds. Housing and redlining, disparate healthcare, bias, police brutality, dehumanization, food deserts, poor health outcomes, rising suicide rates, education gaps, income gaps, wealth gaps, the criminalization of Blackness and over incarceration, still do not name all the major problems plaguing the Black community. All of this floated around in my mind and I resumed a journey to do my part on all the fronts that I could think of since I entered the field of health care and as early as High-school, when my own life reflected much of what ails the Black community today- but that is for a future blog!
Six years ago, with the death of Michael Brown, was our wake up call. When it became evident that Black Lives did not matter to the rest of our society, and without strong faith this could be changed in the immediate future, my husband and I with a toddler and a baby on the way, began to think about ways to empower our family and our community. Joseph and I begin to think seriously about what it would take to see more sustained and broad improvements within the black community's mental, physical, spiritual, and economic well-being. It was then that we began both a family focus and plan combined with redoubling our individual efforts to improve the circumstances of the Black community.
My husband transitioned from building wealth for large corporations to individuals, and small business. I wrote a small paper highlighting how multifaceted the problem of racial injustice in our society is and explored some solutions to the racial discord in the United States of America. I continued to participate in Psychiatry residency interviews with the intention of advocating for qualified Black applicants, began to supervise and support a couple of residents and after a year off returned to help with a series of didactics related to cultural sensitivity for the first year cohort. My husband and I both returned to focus more on speaking to groups of black people in the community about mental, physical, spiritual, and financial well being as well as economic fitness. I took the first two, my husband the last, and we split the middle between us. It was uncanny to us, the intersection we suddenly saw daily between our two professions. It became clear that whole health for Black people required a greater focus on all of these aspects or no progress would be made.
No one single approach will solve all the years of intentional oppression and miseducation of Black people, but black financial health is one major approach. As we look for solutions to the systemic racial inequities in our society we must pay attention to this intersectionality. We cannot have whole health without looking at the full picture. Without a holistic perspective we cannot claim that #BlackLivesMatter!
The circumstances that Black people disproportionately find themselves in can create a vicious cycle of illness. The situation of one of my patients exemplifies this. Living in a neighborhood where opportunity has rarely been an option, unemployment rates always high and crime rates following suit, she feels unsafe. So she finds it hard to follow my recommendations of a daily walk, planting a patio vegetable garden even with affordable scraps and repurposed household items, and starting job interviews because she is afraid to open a window, least alone walk out of her front door. Even a free bike could do her no good when my Yale resident had some donated to the company where I work. So she remains in distress even if I can help her escape the social ills plaguing her for an hour with meditation, distract and teach her with a food for mood cooking demo or urban gardening project. Her situation is not uncommon among my patients and the circumstances of a disproportionate number of Black people. For many with finances not only in disarray but often with a lack of knowledge about how to improve circumstances, it appears short-cited to talk about addressing their mental health without addressing their financial health as well. Black financial health is and always has been a root factor of many of the above cited issues. For improving circumstances, I do not mean through random allocated funds but through education and opportunities that help them rise out of their circumstances and into financial independence. This can help free up their minds to enjoy a leisurely walk in the park, decrease stress levels as some of their basic needs can be met and heal.
This will be a series of Blog posts and vlog episodes dedicated to this intersection as it pertains to Black people and the broader society we live in because America includes Black America. When we understand that #BlackFinancialMentalHealthMatters and begin to recognize the multifaceted roots and nature of the problems we face we can then explore solutions for pervasive and sustainable change. Five years from now, we cannot look back and say we wish we had learned more and done more. Momentum must be sustained. This is an approach to support renewed hope while taking a step forward and never turn back!
#wholehealthmatters, #blackfinancialmentalhealthmatters, #BLM, #BlackLivesMatter
