For so many people in the Black community, the oppression we focus on during Black History month is not history. My mother went to a segregated school so racial discrimination is part of her personal story. We must recognize how recent the painful past is—but focusing exclusively on our history of marginalization and oppression misses the full picture of the Black American experience.
A year ago, I wrote about how blaming stigma for the shortcomings of Black mental health access was an oversimplification and disservice to the community. A year later, I hesitate to continue focusing on stigma. It’s an important piece of addressing mental health for Black Americans, but the tendency to focus on the painful history of Black Americans, rather than the full journey, can be harmful to our collective mental health.
This pivot helped with my own healing. When I predominantly focused on the harm of racism and discrimination, I robbed myself of also seeing the sense of pride and community that Black Americans have built despite oppression.
Reconciling past and present
To be clear, it’s really hard to avoid talking about Black history when that history continues to repeat itself. The killing of Tyre Nichols and the African American curriculum battle in Florida prove the racist behavior that defines our history is still part of our present. But that’s just a part of it. Black History is both oppressive and promising.
Like a family member you don’t always agree with, there are still moments where you share a laugh and enjoy their company. That’s how we need to approach Black history. Acknowledge what happened, but also what’s happening.
Focusing on Black joy
We must celebrate the progress of the present because overemphasizing history is detrimental to mental health. I recommend adopting a radical healing framework, built on the belief that people of color are not confined to or defined by the oppression they experience. Radical healing incorporates joy, resilience, hope, social justice education, and activism into the psychological approach to racial trauma.
There are practical ways to incorporate joy into your recognition of Black history. In my family, we started a tradition, the Black History Month challenge, where we have 28 days to complete as many things as possible on the list. That checklist includes actions like cooking a family recipe, affirming a Black child, helping someone register to vote, or donating to an HBCU of choice. We are competitive, so we even have a trophy to up the ante. If competition isn’t your thing, then participate casually by watching The 1619 Project documentary, supporting a Black business, or listening to your favorite Black musician. These are some of the ways to make Black History Month an active and fun celebration of Black progress.
Reframing the experience of Black Americans is easier said than done, especially when it feels like the progress we’ve made is always under threat. News about recent layoffs gutting diversity and inclusion departments can make it feel like it’s always one step forward, two steps back. But our mental health suffers when we focus on things we can’t control.
We can’t erase the historical stigma surrounding mental health, but we can embrace the progress we’ve seen in terms of accessibility, as telehealth and social media make discussions about therapy, once shrouded in mystery and shame, part of the natural discourse.
We can never negate the pain that is part of our Black history, but we can acknowledge the evolution—and the promise of our future.
Jessica Jackson, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and clinical strategy manager of mental health equity for Modern Health, a leading workplace mental health platform supporting 300-plus enterprises globally.
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