So we're still doing the stigma thing? #Day17 #2minutegems

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On December 13,2022 the world stood in shock, grief, and disbelief grappling with the news of Stephen “Twitch” Boss’ death to suicide.

For those who may be unfamiliar with who he is, he was often seen on the Ellen show as her dj. He was intimately known as a husband, a father, and a 40 year old black man. He was also found frequently all over social media spreading love and immense joy through his love for dance. The world has been stunned still digesting this reality as he can easily be seen as the last person to end his life.

This notion has brought immense light to the battleground of the mind that black men are raging in daily. Raging war in a society where the STIGMA (that belittles and Diminishes the battle) of mental health is still ravaging in our black community.

• “Be strong”

• “Man up”

• “Real men don’t cry”

These were and still are the messages sent to our boys. And as time has progressed, it’s been stapled as a norm for our men.

Men often find more safety in silence and isolation because they don’t feel safe opening up to a community that devalues their pain. The same community that should be creating spaces of healing, demeans the wounds that need to be healed.

Men have become professional performers. Performing for the world, their family, their jobs, their church. Black men especially have become performers at being the “obedient” “stay in line” figure in literal fear of their life on a daily basis. Their very existence is a threat. So they perform in every role, and they show up in fear of not looking weak or inadequate. Meanwhile they’re dying on the inside.

In the church, it has often been quoted to pray off that sickness of mental illness….

DO YOU KNOW HOW DAMAGING THAT IS?!!!

You mean to tell me the same God that created Doctors and physicians to heal physical infirmities didn’t qualify psychologist and psychiatrist to do the same?

• the double standards of our society are a cyclical, mental blindfold, that is killing people everyday

Then the same society that stigmatized and demeaned the pain of individuals in any isolated community, ( minorities, lgbtqia +, and beyond) has the nerve to stand stunned when they’re gone!

Do you create space for those around you to express their struggle? Or did you just try to offer quick solutions and pray it off?

Did you follow up on them after they opened up. Or took what they shared and gossiped about them?

Has anyone ever made space for you?

Stigma is defined as "a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance."- Oxford. The biggest root of stigma comes from a lack of understanding or fear. It's marking someone in an area that you consider them to be deficient in.

If you still have a stigma around the struggles of mental health, you need help. Matter of fact if you have placed stigmas on any minority group, simply for who they are, you need help!

And if you know people who have intentionally diminished and overlooked your struggle… LET THEM FOLKS GOOOO!

Ain’t nothing deep or philosophical…

We’re not doing stigmas in 2023

Don’t check the timer…. Get ya mind right!