Black Men Have Tears

I’m not crazy, I’m human — mental health for black men

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

2020 came and with it, a big slap of “you ain’t shit!” flooded in our minds as we sat still in isolation.

The conversation surrounding mental health is never an easy one. This is especially true amongst black men. There seems to be some sort of unwritten rule that a black man that is vocal about their feelings is weak.

For as long as I can remember I have always had the impression that I can handle anything. I lived through situations whereby in my eyes, things could not possibly get any worse. Whatever else comes my way I could easily shrug off. In my language, Sesotho, we have a saying, “Munna ke nku ha a lle!” Loosely translated, “A man is a sheep, and so he does not cry!” This is because as you kill a sheep it does not make a sound, it merely kicks, closes its eyes, and drifts to death. I am almost certain that you are familiar with phraseology along the same lines. Maybe “Don’t let ’em see your tears champ” or maybe even “shed blood before you can shed a tear.” This is how we approach pain, grief, and mental health but unbeknownst to most, the wounds cut deep.

In normal circumstances, we bury our demons beneath heaps of external influence. We try to avoid thinking or…