It's a look at the intersection of race & ethnicity, education, and mental health. All through the lens of me. This is a blog. There are vignettes of my own experiences, some opinions, and some resources and articles I thought would be good to share.
Over time I’ve learned that my story doesn't belong to me. Something churchy about the power of testimony to produce transformation.
It worries me that if I don't tell my own story then someone else might do so incorrectly or coopt it.
When I looked up stuff about this, I didn’t find many Black & Brown men speaking from a position of experience. There might be an academic type talking about the research and statistics. You might find media personas talking about the phenomenon not being acknowledged and how much it needs to be addressed. Maybe there's a celebrity who's open about it and they talk about how much they love their therapist. What is hard to come across is someone with whom I can relate. A low income, previously religious, Black/Brown man who's a first generation college grad who hasn’t really made it or figured it out yet. Representation matters.
I didn't know exactly where this would lead. I have considered the potential outcomes and some are not favorable. Stigma and misconception abound. It's possible that this will be beneficial to someone. I guess that's what matters the most and that’s why I’m doing this. More stories like mine from people like me need to be out there. It’s my hope and intention that someone can learn, grow, or find some kind of value in this.
So here it is. My truth.
Oh! I want to start by reminding you that I am not infallible. That being said, there's a chance that you will disagree with me or experience some discomfort with my words. Maybe you don't see the point and you find this whole thing banal. You might not understand everything. That's okay.
Everything is not for everybody.