Today is the last day of Black History Month. Over the last few years my life has been enriched by Black professors, coworkers, doctoral students, and authors that I have had the privilege to know and learn from. They have helped me learn to value diverse opinions and appreciate stories and life experiences that are different from my own. We are a nation increasingly defined by our differences, be they color, political, religious, or economic. We forget that, despite our differences, we share what makes us human. The desire to love and be loved, to care for our families and children, to succeed by using the talents and abilities God has given us, and to live the best life possible. May God help us be better at seeing the best in others and giving our best to others.
Each week I record five 1-minute messages about mental health and wellness, played on local radio stations. The goal is to promote mental health awareness and resilience. I try to be timely and tie the “mental health minute” to calendar or current events. This month, I recorded five of the minutes featuring quotes by Black leaders whose writings have impacted me. Here are the leaders, their quotes, and my brief application to mental health.
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior:
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright-daybreak-of-peace-and-brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
When our country is increasingly polarized, decide to be a peacemaker. Find ways to build honest and understanding relationships. It is the most important thing you can do for our national mental health.
Booker T Washington:
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached-in-life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
One of the most destructive things we can do is compare ourselves to others. We always come up short. Set personal goals rather than using other people’s lives as a measuring stick for your success. Take stock of your own progress and let that be your motivation to take the next step.
Maya Angelou:
“Won’t it be wonderful when black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book…Just U.S. history.”
The United States is and has been made up of the stories of countless individuals who have unique life experiences. Valuing that uniqueness can be healing. Validating someone’s story by honoring their life experience as truly important-and meaningful is essential to-a healthy-mature self-esteem. You have the power to make someone else know they matter.
Barack Obama:
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
One of the pieces of advice I give adolescents is stop blaming others for their problems and focus on how they can be the solution. When you blame others, you give away your power to fix things. When you focus on how you can solve problems you become a difference maker.
W. E. B. Bu Bois:
“Read some good, heavy, serious books just for discipline: Take yourself in hand and master yourself. Make-yourself do unpleasant things so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.”
Depression makes us want to shut down. Push back against that urge. Challenge yourself to learn new skills, learn about new subjects that interest you, have experiences that open you up to new ways of thinking, or visit unfamiliar places. These all help us overcome depression and combat stress.
Friends let us commit ourselves to widening our circle of fellowship, friendship and those who speak into our life to include people who have stories different from our own.