274 - How Black Mental Wealth is Key to Life-long Success and Wellness, with Dr. Raquel Martin
Nov 10, 2023
auto_awesome
Dr. Raquel Martin discusses promoting Black mental health for legacy-building and longevity. Topics covered include Black mental wealth, community care, self-care in the workplace, combating racism, building community, and providing opportunities for deprived children.
Black mental wealth involves humanizing Blackness and countering white supremacy, promoting mental health practices integral to success and wellbeing.
Black mental health experiences are linked to societal treatment, economic norms, and racial disparities, emphasizing the necessity of specific conversations and focuses on Black mental health.
Deep dives
The Concept of Black Mental Wealth
Black mental wealth is about humanizing Blackness and countering white supremacy and dehumanization. It encompasses services, community care, and practices that humanize the Black experience. Dr. Martin discusses how it is important to center Black mental health as a key to success and well-being. She focuses on promoting Black mental health in her work as a professor, trainer, and therapist, emphasizing the importance of seeing oneself represented in all realms to achieve high mental well-being and decreased depression and anxiety.
Understanding the Need for Black Mental Health Focus
Black mental health is distinct from mental health for other ethnicities due to the systemic oppression, racism, and prejudice faced by Black people. Dr. Martin explains that mental health experiences are linked to societal treatment, economic norms, and racial disparities. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the structural and cultural disparities that impact the Black community, highlighting the necessity of specific conversations and focuses on Black mental health.
Unpacking Discomfort and Addressing Resistance
Dr. Martin addresses the discomfort some may feel when discussions about Black mental health arise. She explains that discomfort is not synonymous with being unsafe, and that discomfort arises from the challenge of decentering oneself and recognizing the need to address racial disparities and white privilege. She encourages listeners to interrogate their discomfort, acknowledge societal norms, and work towards change and understanding.
Promoting Black Mental Health through Community Care
Dr. Martin emphasizes the importance of community care in improving Black mental health. She highlights the significance of building supportive communities that center and normalize the Black experience. Dr. Martin also encourages individuals to engage in self-monitoring, to be aware of their body's signals, and to take breaks to prioritize their well-being. Additionally, she emphasizes the need to focus on joy, culture, and envision Black futures to combat racial battle fatigue.
Dr. Raquel Martin is on a mission to radically reimagine Black possibility by promoting Black mental health as key to legacy-building and longevity for generations to come. In this episode, she sits down with Minaa B to discuss black mental wealth -- what it is and what it looks like in practice.
Dr. Martin is an experienced licensed clinical psychologist, devoted professor, acclaimed researcher, and scientist. She deeply believes in the power of Black mental wealth – an affirming, lifelong journey, that encourages Black people to center mental health practices as integral and intentionally linked to success and wellbeing.