Do you think mental health is taken seriously in the Black community? If not, what needs to change?
Wallace Stewart, Southwest D.C.
“No, because of our parents. Not to fully put the blame on them, [but it’s] always been not really talked about. I do Uber part time; most white people [that] get in my car talk about going to a therapist like it’s normal. For us, it’s like, ‘Something wrong with you? Why are you going there?’ I think the best thing to do…[is] giving people more help. People need help with their mental health. As long as we keep shrugging it off, these people with mental health issues will be in prison. That’s where they are trying to put most of us anyway.”
Dianne Thorpe, Southeast D.C.
“If it [has] changed, it’s very little. I think they need more people working in mental health.”
Vincent Lucas, Southeast D.C.
“It would probably be taken more seriously if we were not judging one another. We judge each other too much so we don’t talk about the problem.”
Paul Amedu, Northern Nigeria
“I feel as though mental health is taken seriously. We’re on a journey to take it more seriously because it definitely needs to [be], but it’s better than it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. I feel like the things that need to change are more resources in Black communities, more outspokenness, and more knowledge about these topics. People can have [someone] in their family [with] mental health conditions, but because they are not aware of it, they think, ‘That’s just Uncle Louie. He’s just a little crazy.’”
Compiled by Keith Golden Jr.
