Tamara Jeffries
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Now I See
Blog
Everything's Just Fine
| Posted on 23 November, 2010 at 0:08 |
In the summer of ’09, when the call came from the Carter
Center telling me I’d gotten a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health
Journalism, I gasped—thrilled, honored. This
will be a sweet little addition to the resume. Little did I know how deeply
I would be affected by the experience of spending a year looking at the
complexities of mental health and mental illness—especially among women and in
communities of color. What has really moved me is the people who quietly whisper
out from behind their facades of “everything’s just fine” and admit to depression—indigo
deep, bruise blue. It’s not just that folks find courage to talk about it. It’s
how many—how many—of us there are. You’d never know.
We hide our secret perfectly. But scratch the surface…. No. You need not
even apply that slight violence…. Just
touch. The bruise will bloom. That is the impetus to write about it
and talk about it—letting people know they aren’t alone.
And when a powerhouse like Terrie Williams talks—openly and
everywhere—about fighting depression. When Ntozake Shange speaks insouciantly
of trying—twice—to commit suicide, and not getting “the hang of it.” When brilliant psychiatrist Carl Bell
reminds us that “we are stronger than we are weak.” Well, that’s what you write about and talk about—letting
people know that healing is possible.
This is the place for that conversation. Thank you for being here to have it. We've got to let people know. |
Categories: depression, Carter Center, mental health, women, Black health, Ntozake Shange, Terrie Williams
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6 Comments
Reply
Eric Godbolt
3:45 on 8 December, 2010
Again, simply great to see you and know your doing well....peace, blessings and the grace of god be upon you.
eagodbolt
eagodbolt
Reply
Eric Godbolt
3:45 on 8 December, 2010
Again, simply great to see you and know your doing well....peace, blessings and the grace of god be upon you.
eagodbolt
eagodbolt
Reply
Briana Barner
2:58 on 9 December, 2010
Depression, in my opinion, in the Black community is such a taboo topic because we feel that we have the burden of the world on our shoulders--the history of our ancestors, the brutal racism experienced in the '60s, the supposed "post-racial" world that we live in now--it makes sense that we would be depressed when dealing with all that.
It makes no sense though. Whoever told us that we had to be and represent everything good for our race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. clearly needs to be reprimanded. Look at what is causing.
It makes no sense though. Whoever told us that we had to be and represent everything good for our race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. clearly needs to be reprimanded. Look at what is causing.
Reply
Vandorn
19:35 on 18 September, 2011
Wearing one of the masks of anger, depression, is an exhausting experience, and in many people's cases "journey through life". One's suffering from not asking for what one truly wants in life is often due to the programming (beliefs) burried in the subconscious mind. Clearing that closet can result in a liberation from the debilitating effects of depression, and is a goal worthy of the effort!
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