Too often, the discourse regarding the mental health of Black men on social media can be either disingenuous or outright harmful, but in Los Angeles, a group of 15 Black men gather on a bi-weekly basis to check in with each other and offer support as they navigate the pressures that come with being a Black man living in America.
As The Guardian reported, the group, Mental Health Is Real Wealth, was founded by 37-year-old Desmond Carter in 2022. Carter, as he explained to the outlet, was inspired to start the group after the death of his best friend, who died by suicide after dealing with schizophrenic depression for years.
“It happened literally 10 years ago, and it’s still tough,” Carter told the outlet, noting that his friend was funny, fly, and intelligent. However, Carter also remembers that he often hid his diagnosis from him. “It led me to do what I’m doing now. I see so many of my peers and people who look like me walking around, fly, cool, fresh with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and acting like they are just fine.”
The mental health struggles of Black men exist in the space between being ignored and pathologized, particularly in online discussions, but according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death for Black male adolescents and young adults.
As Aaricka Washington notes in her reporting, Black boys and men compose the majority of suicides within the Black population.
According to Lance Lenford, a psychologist, the pandemic changed the way that Black Millennials and Gen X Black men negotiated their relationships with the American Dream. Lenford noted that, for generations, Black men were told that in order to latch onto manhood, they had to go to school, get married, and buy a house; but with that process being increasingly disrupted, Black men are collectively questioning their roles under patriarchy.
Source: How One Group Of Black Men In Los Angeles Is Prioritizing Mental Health
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