Don’t let COVID-19 stop you from casting your vote this election. Voting by bail is the safest way to to do it. Head to FloridaWill.vote to request your mail ballot. (Advertisement)
###
Republished with permission from Dear Dark Skinned Girl Blog
By Naima Autumn Rose
Amidst a national call for police officers to be held accountable for the murder of innocent Black people, police officers shot another unarmed Black man named Jacob Blake on Sunday, August 23, 2020, in Wisconsin. As of August 25, it has been 165 days since police officers killed Breonna Taylor in her own house. Her name and image have made it on to t-shirts, magazine covers, and more, but officials have yet to arrest those responsible.
Being Black in America means feeling like your voice– and your humanity– is always disregarded. Enduring systemic racism each day has a detrimental impact on the mental health of Black Americans. This means that in the U.S, racism is legitimately a public health crisis.
For example, @saddie.baddies, a mental health resource for women of color, made an Instagram post about vicarious trauma, which occurs when “a person witnesses or is exposed to a traumatic event.”
When police officers killed George Floyd in May 2020, I remember people posting the video everywhere to “spread awareness.” Now, it’s happening again with the shooting of Jacob Blake.
As the @saddie.baddies Instagram post states, however, “when the [black] body is used for the shock value, it takes away several components….it desensitizes us to think that violent acts towards Black people are normal or ordinary. They are not.”
To continue reading, visit www.deardarkskinnedgirl.com.
Dear Dark Skinned Girl Blog was started by Naima Autumn Rose, a high school student who wanted to fill a gap in the way she has always experienced black womanhood growing up and by addressing a piece of the black experience that she feels isn’t talked about enough: colorism. She has expanded her coverage to focus to other issues as well.
###
Do you have a story idea? If so, send Hy-Lo News your story ideas by clicking here.
0 comments on “Let’s Talk About The Stigma Around Mental Health For Black Women”