The Toll Silence Takes on Mental Health in Marginalized Communities

Silence is complicity. I am a Latina immigrant, and that identity colors my experience. It is through this lens that I see and experience the world. I am blessed because I have had people and opportunities that have helped me understand the world differently, to move beyond my worldview and expand it. For Black people, their worldview is fraught with lessons and experiences that highlight that their lives do not matter. BUT they do. I have come to know and deeply understand that the world and the people around me may not share in my worldview – they are often not even thinking about how our experiences differ or have similarities. Maybe I, along with all people that do not align with your ideas of worth, are lumped in with whatever stereotypical beliefs held, or you simply do not care. Should they? Are we not being asked that question right now, do you care? The answer may not come easily. But I wonder if we are supposed to start there, in merely asking ourselves where we fall? Do we care or not? If so, what are you doing to help change your existence, your world? If you do not care, why is that? What has your experience been that you do not value life regardless of color, gender, or anything different from you? I know we are different, each one us. But there is something that binds people of color and our communities, the simple fact that we are so often ignored until we become a threat. What do we threaten – your way of life, a clear path to getting what you want, ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Mental Health America Publishers Racism Allies BIPOC Black Black Lives Matter people of color Prejudice Source Type: blogs