CNN did a story called "Black and Blue: Depression Among African Americans."
Terrie Williams, author of "Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting," was on there with some important reminders.
1. Issues of Af Am mental health became overshadowed during slavery where blacks learned how to hide their feelings and ignore their families' and their own needs. They had to. If slaves showed emotion or personal attention to their children, they were often sold to other slave owners. The goal was to divide the slave families so they could be herds of cattle without attachments to people, instead of humans--that makes it economically and morally easier to enslave people.
Thus, began the pattern and it is not easily broken.
2. Af Am community emphasizes prayer (which I mentioned in one of my first posts) and prayer is supposed to be the end-all-and-be-all in theory and practice for many. So people who seek help are perceived as admitting that God can't solve all and doesn't answer prayers. This is a supposed betrayal of God which contributes to silence in the communities and a failure for almost all institutions in the black community to address mental health.
3. General distrust for medicine that especially began with the Tuskegee experiment. Blacks were taken advantage in that experiment and that led to a fear of medicine and lying ass medical experts.
4. The Invincible Sista Syndrome: The mask of the superwoman that black women wear. Pay attention to the signs and symptoms of depression and other mental disorders. Give yourself the necessary attention to address this issue. Seek help before the mask cracks!!!
Terrie Williams asks that on MARCH 1 everyone goes to www.staystrongfoundation.org TO PLEDGE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE..
I can't find the link for the CNN story but here's more info on Af Am mental health and Terrie Williams' book and personal story:
http://www.healthyplace.com/Communit...norities_9.asp
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/200...on-black-pain/
Sorry, T La Rock, LL killed it. 
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