Health
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Taraji P. Henson Announces Two-Day 'Can We Talk?' Mental Health Summit
Actress Taraji P. Henson announced that her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF) will hold a two-day summit “to exchange ideas around normalizing the conversation of mental illness in the African-American community.” The first “Can We Talk?” Conference and Benefit Dinner will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 7-9, People reports. The Empire star, who…
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Common Opens Up About Being Molested as a Child and the 'Deep and Sudden Shame' He Felt
Shame thrives in silence. With every word spoken, every narrative reclaimed, sexual abuse victims and survivors have found a renewed power. In his new memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, Common spoke about a topic that is often buried in silence amongst black men in the community — experiencing sexual assault. Trigger Warning: Please…
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Yoga Is My Self-Care: More Black Men Need to Breathe
As soon as I walk into my yoga studio in Brooklyn, I leave every societal hang-up on how black men are supposed to act and feel at the door. I can be free. I can be me, at peace with my mind and body. I exist unjudged by the people practicing with me because they,…
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The Semicolon: How a Seemingly Obscure Tattoo Signifies Survival and Solidarity
In 2013, 27-year-old Amy Bleuel began a mental health advocacy organization dubbed “Project Semicolon” to bring awareness to suicide, depression, addiction and self-injury. Bleuel, who had lost her father to suicide 10 years earlier, died by suicide at the age of 31. The campaign, however, remains strong, inspiring others to take an active role in…
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In the Sunshine: The Root Tackles Mental Health in May
Today, May 1, marks May Day, the day that we pay homage to the workers of the world, and it also marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Month. Here at The Root, we take Mental Health seriously, and we aim to give our readership not only stories they can relate to, but which give…
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A Standing O for Addressing Mental Health: Oprah Teams Up With Prince Harry for an Upcoming Apple TV+ Series
April is Mental Health Awareness Month, and with it, a welcome announcement: Oprah is teaming up with the Duke of Sussex (also known as Prince Harry) for a new documentary series focused on mental health, due to launch on Apple TV in 2020. The announcement, made on the Sussex Royal Instagram on Wednesday, comes just…
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Taraji P. Henson Tears Up Describing Mental Health in the Black Community as a 'National Crisis'
Taraji P. Henson has been doing the work, the work to end the stigma surrounding mental illness in the black community. The urgency of the issue brought her to tears while she was being honored for her efforts at Variety magazine’s Power of Women New York lunch. In September, Henson launched the Boris Lawrence Henson…
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'I'm Living Proof': On the Heels of Her Own Recovery, Wendy Williams Releases PSA for New Substance Abuse Hotline
Wendy Williams is no stranger to the struggle of addiction. The diva of daytime talk television has long been candid about her own past drug use, including a recent return to treatment and sober living amid months of media reports speculating about her health, marriage and sobriety. Now, Williams is paying it forward with the…
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Police Kill 29-Year-Old Black Man They Tried to Serve With ‘Mental Health Warrant’
Police have killed yet another black person in mental health distress, this time in State College, Pa. The most galling part of this tragedy, though, is that the officers were attempting to serve a “mental health warrant.” On Wednesday, State County borough police shot and killed 29-year-old Osaze Osagie in what Centre County Coroner Scott…
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My Pain. Our Pain: Help Me Help the Mentally Ill Survive Police Interactions Without Being Killed
I need your help. I’ll tell you what kind at the end of this piece. But first I need to tell you a story: One day, I got a call from my Aunt Pat—my mother’s identical twin. Or maybe the call was from my mother—her voice pained. Panicked. Frantic. It’s all a blur now. I…