Beautiful Black Mental Health
75 Minutes
Resource Review(minus 15 minutes if completed before class)
The Beautiful Black Man
Breathing Exercise
Guided Discussion
Send a Postcard
Closing Thoughts and Evaluations
Still We Thrive
Guided Discussion
Participants will be able to:
Interpret clinical information on mental health disparities among the Black population
Make interpretations about protagonists that considers our reading
Determine characters' strengths and identify themes of resilience, beauty, and joy
This class begins by inviting students to consider the life stressors specific to the Black experience. We watch two short films delving into systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma, along with the power of ancestors, relationships, resilience, beauty, and joy. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own wellness and what they need and want to strengthen it.
topics covered
Cultural Stigma, Intergenerational Trauma, Mental Wellness, Racism, Social Connections
aom nutrients
Empathy, Intellectual Honesty
casel sel
Social awareness
wellness wheel
Social
identities
Adult, LGBTQ, Black, Man / male, Woman / female, Trans
film style
Drama, Documentary, Experimental
Films Included
Still We Thrive
Still We Thrive is a film about our healing and self-care under white supremacy. Still I Thrive uses found/archive footage, pieces to camera, voice over, and music to build a story of Black mental health resilience. The film uses archive and found footage of Black people, from different times and geographical locations, to create a sense of connection via Diaspora.
film style
Documentary
identities
Black, Man / male, Woman / female, Trans, Adult, LGBTQ
The Beautiful Black Man
The Beautiful Black Man is a tonal poem that examines the generational trauma of black men. Mitchell comes from a family of growers, men who grow flowers in their hair. This has been the shame for every man in his family. So, they teach their sons to pluck themselves in order for their flowers not to be seen. Plucking is a bloody mess that causes physical and emotional harm. However, it is the cost of being man enough in society.
film style
Drama, Experimental
identities
Black, Man / male, Woman / female, Adult