Racism – The Impact on Black Mental Health

Jade Sullivan - 15 Jul 20

The trauma, PTSD, the worldwide wounds of racism cannot be measured. I had an interview with @mshelenrussell yesterday for her 4th book, she’s studied happiness in people, and now she’s researching sadness. As I type I cry. She was interested to speaking to me re. my #blacklivesmatter article on @mother_pukka and my @scummymummies podcast. She’s interested in understanding more about the sadness and anger of racism, as a white middle class woman. We spoke about Stephen Lawrence and the impact that had on me, I was 15 when he was murdered. We spoke about my childhood & daily encounters of racism, my fears for my children, husband and black boys, and lastly before her little twins got grumpy after their nap, we spoke about mental health. Where I stated “I don’t think you can actually quantify the affects of daily racism on black peoples mental health”. (Black people in the UK are more likely than white people to be diagnosed with mental health problems and to be sectioned) I’m a deep thinker. In fact thinking about it, all my black friends and family are deep thinkers. They have to be they are forced to be, unfortunately they don’t have the luxury of skipping through life being ditsy. Life gets serious pretty quick when you’re Black. The Black women @fivexmore_ 5X more likely to die in childbirth due to racism, will start you off as you mean to go on in the world apparently. Yep I can tick that box too, the NHS & Doctors have tried to kill me numerous times, one of my favourites was being left in a room to labour 10 week premature twins alone. You better stay on your toes in that boxing ring, ducking and diving to survive. With mental health, I’m not talking about being sectioned (Due to racism, been there done that, got the ‘More issues than Vogue’ T-shirt!) I’m talking about the daily mental health stuff, my computer, my brain has to deal with and process, which is obviously now heightened due to WhatsApp social media & black lives matter. For instance my friend Dean sent me a video of a black American lady, her car had been crashed into due to racism, the white man said she shouldn’t have that Lexus car as she’s Black, she’s a nurse?! “Remember an old man told you to go to the back of the bus, and move out of the seat, called you a nigger and told you to go back to Africa” My 8 year old daughter Eva Rose saw her speaking and reminded me when I was pregnant with Mae on the bus with the then 2 year old @afrotwinslondon I’d forgotten! This world is a mess! As Eva Rose says all for some pigmentation in our skin?! These people are crazy! And all these scandals, Stephen Lawrence, Windrush, Grenfell, Racism in Childbirth, Police, marking of exam papers, people getting good jobs, (I could go on but I’m tired now, and the list is endless) all the government ever does is give the same blanket response, commission a report costing loads of money, which are the same words, no actions that are really actioned and nothing changes?! “The definition of madness doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” And all this racist shite, is with all the other life stress shite, everyone else has to deal with?! So to all my Black Kings & Queens YOU ARE MF AMAZING SO STRONG & SO CLEVER – if you think about it we probably could all be rocking in a chair in a mental hospital (cool if you are, take time get better soon) but we’re not WE’RE THE COOLEST, KINDEST, MOST INGENIOUS CREATIVE, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE on this planet Earth. Dear God please let the world change for the better now – too much, too long – we need a break, we are tired of being tired and angry, it’s exhausting and traumatic. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night – I need to sleep exhausted but as always, there is a child awake now. Oh well jADE you can sleep when you’re dead or rich! xXx

Jade Sullivan

The Sullivans Mama @afrotwinslondon Benjamin & Eva Rose & Miracle Mae Wife to Tyrone @7ty7 Black Activist, Writer, Mental Health Advocate Creative Entrepreneur, Partner @yellowcroftevents

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