If indeed this statement were true, then I, a woman of Nigerian ancestry living in the United States—as well as some of my family members, friends and acquaintances, my patients, their parents and grandparents, all black—should never have struggles with mental health issues. Yet we all have. Unfortunately, we of African ancestry have subconsciously embraced and propagated this narrative much to our detriment believing as if this problem does not exist in our race. In September of , I quit my job as a physician to focus on public speaking, with the sole purpose of increasing awareness about mental illness among people of African ancestry in the United States.
I had become aware of a substantial increase in depression and suicidal ideation in my patients. The more I researched this topic, the more I noticed that the problem is increasingly prevalent in the contemporary community.
Today suicide rates in African American children aged years have increased steadily since the s and are now double those of their Caucasian counterparts. These numbers are on the rise. Mental illness has been in existence as long as humans have inhabited the earth, but for people of African descent, little or no references are available about this condition before the s.
Since becoming white could only be accomplished by miscegenation, Rush argued against intermarriage between races to ensure that negritude would not spread beyond the black population. Other antebellum medical researchers promoted conditions such as Drapetomania , a disease that caused enslaved blacks to flee their plantations, or Dysaethesia Aethiopia , a disease that purportedly caused a state of dullness and lethargy, which would now be considered depression.
Modern historians of slavery have described both conditions as understandable responses to enslavement, but white medical practitioners at the time assumed they were manifestations of mental illness.
Cartwright and others often reported that Drapetomania and Dysaethesia Aethiopia were often accompanied by skin lesions, which historians now argue were most likely scars from the whippings. In other words, these physicians failed to recognize the connection between the emotional states of the enslaved and the treatment they recommended for their condition.
Most pre-Civil War mental health facilities in the South usually barred the enslaved for treatment. Apparently mental health experts believed that housing blacks and whites in the same facilities would detrimentally affect the healing of the whites.
Housing conditions in Southern asylums for the few that accepted the enslaved were bad enough for white patients, but the blacks were often housed outdoors near these institutions or in local jails. There were accounts of some child-slaves being cared for in the yards of the asylums. Most of these facilities were run without government funding or oversight, and inmates, as the children were called, were regularly misdiagnosed and wrongly accused of crimes, extending their stay in these institutions and exposing them to additional mistreatment by authorities.
Many of these children were subjected to hard manual labor on farms owned by or near these institutions, foreshadowing the notorious convict leasing systems that sprang up across the Reconstruction-era South. Often the labor of these children was praised by asylum authorities, further raising questions about the correctness of their diagnoses of mental illness.
Here, we catch a glimpse of the possible origin of contemporary black distrust of the healthcare system. The Civil War freed nearly four million enslaved people across the South. It did not, however, lead to more enlightened attitudes about the treatment of African Americans with mental illness.
This explains why they were able to chase the colonial regimes from power. This is what makes it very dangerous. It is even more dangerous when one has a problem but hasn't even realized it yet. Even more dangerous is the fact that our politicians themselves do not realize that we're still under colonial rule. We have many puppet governments in place, most of which are directed and controlled from abroad.
Meanwhile we spend millions of money to import similar products of less quality, from abroad. I have for the past few months been lamenting about the gradual collapse of African industries, as we continue to import from elsewhere. Even though many signs are recently pointing to the conviction that more African women are becoming proud of their natural African beauty and fashion, the major question that still remains unanswered are: When will the 'modern' African woman manage to free herself from mental slavery?
When will the majority of African consumers, free themselves from mental slavery? When will our politicians and all our leaders free themselves from mental slavery? When will all Africans listen to Bob Marley, and understand that none but ourselves can free our minds? Only time will tell whether the modern African woman, will give dignity a chance at some point and go back to her root, or whether she will continue to throw her dignity to the dogs in the name of so- called "modern fashion".
At the same time, time will tell whether the 21st century's Africans will also be able to come out of slavery and to overthrow their batch of colonial rulers from power, for the freedom of the future generation. Time will tell whether Africans of today will even realize at all that we are still living under slavery.
It is important for us to understand all these realities because it is said that: "To understand the problem itself is half the solution". Sep 24, Shawn rated it really liked it. Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, philosopher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator.
Mental slavery is a state of mind where discerning between liberation and enslavement is twisted. Emancipate is to set free, especially from legal, social, or political restrictions. This book is a Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, philosopher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator.
This book is a collection of sayings by Marcus Garvey during his lifetime that was spoken to the men of Africa and others as well. I call these sayings "positive affirmation" to the black man. You don't have to live in Africa or be African to learn from his teachings. Very powerful book.
May 15, Darren Palmer rated it it was amazing. Great Book! Marcus the Great! Hats off to Amy Garvey. This was self-help guru-ism before there was an niche industry for it.
Garvey has long been a favorite. I am so pleased that I learned of him at the start of my adult life. Garvey is no critical race theorist. Just a straight up truth-seeking, truth-telling soul. Had the right-wing racists Hoover, et. Now we are reaping the outcome of the injustice against him.
Men today do not match up. Garvey lives! Jan 22, Thaddeus Hale rated it it was amazing. Black Empowerment The sayings and teachings of Marcus Garvey spoke more to Black empowerment than anyone of his time. How sad our community was then and continues to be. Oliver rated it really liked it Oct 31, Takela Washington rated it it was amazing Jun 12, Jimmy Cooks, Jr.
Mike Ncube rated it really liked it Aug 11, Glenn Buchanan rated it it was amazing Mar 09, Michael S Dillon rated it really liked it Dec 05, Shanine rated it liked it Dec 01, R Joseph rated it it was amazing May 06, Cassandra Thoby rated it liked it Nov 25, Sandiso rated it it was amazing Aug 10, Sylver Warren rated it did not like it Apr 07, Byron Anderson rated it it was amazing Dec 20, Syvehlla rated it it was amazing Feb 03, Junior Dover rated it really liked it Jan 27, Chidi Kalu rated it it was amazing Aug 17, Lamont doxie rated it it was amazing Jun 21, Bette Lawrence-water rated it it was amazing Mar 21, Alan Victor Willis rated it really liked it Sep 02, Prince rated it it was amazing Jul 29, Babajide Arigbabu marked it as to-read Dec 18, Nnamdi Azikiwe added it Mar 01,
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