Black men’s mental health is a complex and often overlooked issue. justUs MH Foundation, a platform dedicated to fostering mental health awareness and providing support to Black men, hosted their 3rd annual Black Men’s Mental Health Conference at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta.
According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 4 women (23.2%) and 1 in 7 men (13.9%) have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Additionally, evidence shows that state that relational violence and children who are affected, either directly or indirectly, are at a significantly higher risk of developing mental health conditions. Anxiety, PTSD, depressive disorders, and other mental health conditions are factors that are plaguing our communities at a high rate.
This event brought together a panel of speakers, including Dr. Myrone Fountaine (aka “The Prison Dr.”) as the keynote, alongside mental health professionals, thought leaders, and community advocates dedicated to empowering and uplifting Black men through open dialogue, healing, and practical resources.
Guests gained access to expert insights, mental wellness tools, and community support in a culturally affirming space.
The Black Men’s Mental Health Conference was created to bring awareness to the current state of mental health within the African American community with a specifically targeted focus on black men.
The goal of the Black Men’s Mental Health Conference is to shine a light on mental health in the black community while providing a safe space for black men to seek information, voice their experiences, and come together in fellowship, unity, and love.
Statistical and clinical diagnoses show that the black man’s mental health is more complex and delicate than other nationalities.
Due to structural racism and Black men’s unique history in this country, their mental health and treatment are intimately tied to factors such as implicit bias on the part of medical providers, extreme poverty rates, and low access to quality psychological and psychiatric services. Compared to other races, black people are less likely to receive guidelines and consistent care or even be included in mental health research.
Camillia Harris, founder of justUs MH Foundation, has crafted a strategic approach to bring awareness to mental health issues that lie dormant and go unrecognized.
After losing her father to suicide in 2019, she is determined to remove the band-aids of trauma, pain, and unmet mental health needs.
“We must have discussions around intervention and preventative measures (THAT WORK). We must ignite trust back into our communities, within our physicians, and in our very own households. We must hold each other accountable for helping someone in need. We can’t look the other way anymore,” she said.
Keynote speaker “The Prison Doctor” reflected on his 20 years of incarceration and the stark contrast between his privileged upbringing in Chicago and the societal decline he saw upon release.
“I came home to a world where fathers were not in a home,” he said. “Back in my day, if you went to a neighbor’s home, it was easy for it to be a man to open the door, but nowadays, the average door in your neighborhood will be opened by a woman, and there’s no father around.”
He also said he came home to a world where people were smoking weed, vapes, and selling drugs, and even drug the music industry in the conversation.
“The music is deplorable, degrading women, and it’s despicable. I come from an era where people call themselves the Miracles and the Supremes,” he said.
He also criticized modern culture, particularly in media and social norms, highlighting the objectification of women and the negative portrayal of men.
Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
During the panel discussion, Amari Morton – owner of Greater Change, Corey Baker – Founder of Skillsets for Life Consulting LLC, Omar Ali – Global and Domestic Company President, and Psychologist Dr. Curtis Jasper all gave advice to other Black men that it’s okay to ask for help.
Baker said his advice on mental health for black men is to find a safe space to be able to unpack.
“We hold in a lot of things mentally that we may go through in life, whether it’s work, home, or private life, and just in society,” he said. “Find a community of people, or a person, that you can speak with who are wise, and that’s not going to push you the wrong way but help you move in a positive direction.”
Ali says he finds it necessary to remind young black boys that it’s not their responsibility to carry it all alone.
“We’re not damaged in isolation, so we can’t heal in isolation. We must heal in community,” he said. “This whole notion of young black boys carrying the weight of the world has this indirect reflection to the senior men around it, it’s not yours to carry all by yourself.”
He also says there are three things Black males struggle with regardless of age: Trauma, which is stored in the body and expressed through the mind, Betrayal, and Sadness.
“For many young boys, it starts at an incredibly early age, and sometimes it is traumatic that causes sadness, and they hold onto it by thinking they are all alone. Black males experience trauma thinking and feeling they are all alone,” he said.
Ali said the greater demand on the money when the body is struggling emotion.
“I find teaching black males how to become emotionally literate will reduce a number of things that are not expressed through the mind as a result of the average black man just not liking to feel bad,” he said.
Jasper said his advice will go back to business saying to not start off with profits.
“It’s going to drive you ragged, and you’re going to lose your mind only chasing profits. Chase purpose instead, profits come from purpose within your business. Create purpose within your family and within your community,” he said
Morton says to take what they spoke on about mental health during the panel and teach it to someone else.
“When we teach people things, we have to better understand those things ourselves, and today, this conversation being about mental health and how to better understand it in Black spaces, is important to take back into your communities,” he said.
“We do need you in our households’ Black men, and we need to have a representation of fatherhood in our communities again,” Harris said.
With the loss of her father, she learned that Black men don’t always know whom to trust.
“How do we get back to those places and spaces where being open and honest isn’t weaponized or shared with outside sources,” she asked.
