We should be having nuanced conversations about Black women’s mental health.
At the inaugural summit for Girls United—the ESSENCE platform for all things gen Z—we did just that. Joining licensed clinical teen therapist Janjay Johnson in a timely discussion, Grammy-nominated singer Riley and model/influencer Choyce Brown spoke candidly about how they’re taking care of themselves as young women during these unprecedented times.
When asked about how not feeling protected can negatively impact the mental health of today’s young Black women, Brown noted that it is indeed a heavy weigh and breakthroughs are necessary. “I think sometimes it takes time to realize that something has happened to you,” she said. “Because when you get accustomed to things in life and they happen over and over, you kind of get used to it and it takes kind of like a breakthrough for you to realize like, ‘I’m broken.”
The panel also shared the practices they’ve most leaned into to remain centered during this tumultuous year. “For me, it was writing. I started more in my journal, writing songs, writing poems and, meditation. Those are two things that kind of keep me centered.”
To check out more of what Riley and Choyce had to say about how today’s young women are managing their mental health, watch the full segment above.
The 2020 Girls United Virtual Summit is sponsored by ULTA Beauty, McDonald’s and STARZ.