How Strong Is Your Black Mental Health?
Liberation of the Black Mind
Mental Health Awareness, in a large measure, has become an extremely hot topic of discussion. As Black people, how strong is our mental health?
Well, we have to realize that our mental health is directly correlated to the society in which we live; white supremacy. Measuring our mental health with such an oppressive stick will help a lot, and the following brief but comprehensive definition of white supremacy, from the pen of a brilliant psychiatrist, now an ancestor, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing:
“White Supremacy (Racism) is the local and global power system, structured and maintained by persons who classify themselves as white, whether consciously or subconsciously determined; which consists of patterns of perception, logic, symbol formation, thought, speech, action, and emotional response, as conducted simultaneously in all areas of people activity (economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, sex, and war).”
The ultimate objective of white supremacy is global domination by any means necessary. Within that social structure, Black people are being dominated and are subjected to subservient roles in all areas of people's activity causing mental breakdowns.
We are being dominated in education. Our children are not receiving an effective education that is a reflection of what they see in the mirror. At the same time, the teaching of true American history (white supremacy/racism) has been put under the umbrella of “Critical Race Theory” which has been banned in numerous states to maintain a racist society. The erasure of Black history and the history of racism is by design.
We are being dominated in law and politics. Recently, an innocent young man by the name of Amir Locke was murdered in his home last Wednesday by a Minneapolis police officer after executing a “No-Knock Warrant.” The same warrant that took the life of our beloved sister, Breonna Taylor, just two years prior. No laws have been put in place to avoid these innocent killings of Black people.
We are being DOMINATED and our mental health has been under attack for centuries.
The white supremacy social system does not provide us with the social environment needed for our mental health to flourish. We have negative experiences in our environment that consist of poor schools, poor jobs, police brutality, and others that form our self-image and self-concept that result in our mental breakdowns (destructive behaviors).
We live in a society where a young girl, with the potential to become a mother, a wife, a doctor, or a lawyer, can be turned into a sexual object on only fans. We live in a society where a young boy, with the potential to become a father, a husband, a scientist, or a business owner, can be turned into a criminal.
That loss of self-respect and respect for our people is evident in all areas of people’s activity. We do not support each other to an extent to achieve liberation from our oppressors. Some of us want a better experience under the white supremacy system. And some of us will provide the strongest resistance who have reaped success under that system.
How can we strengthen our Black mental health?
First, we have to acknowledge our participation in all areas of people activity under white supremacy that influences us to aid in our continued oppression. We have to understand that we cannot thrive in institutions that were designed to dominate us.
We must build institutions in all areas of people's activity. We need our own banks, schools, hospitals, sports leagues, big tech companies, etc. Only through institution-building can we achieve liberation.
African Proverb, “When spiders unite, they can tie down a lion.”
Lastly, we must develop self-respect and respect for our people to UNITE and SUPPORT each other in all areas of people activity. The power of community can revolutionize our current social structure and catapult us and future generations into a society of justice, peace, and harmony.
How can you measure the strength of your Black mental health? You can measure it by your level of support of our people in all areas of people activity that will liberate us from the white supremacy system that causes all of our mental breakdowns.
“We have to have the confidence in our ability to make independent Black observations, Black analyses and Black plans for Black action, if not why seek liberation? One never should seek independence from those upon whom one feels permanently dependent, for that would be an act of suicide.”- Dr. Frances Cress Welsing
Resources
Amir Locke
Banning Critical Race Theory
Dr. Frances Cress Welsing
