Yaa Gyasi wrote a beautiful historical novel called Homegoing. It tells a story about two sides of a family separated by European enslavement of Africans developing on two separate continents. Reading this book inspired me to study history as an undergraduate student which helped me to sculpt my academic and practical future. Had I not read this book, I probably would not be in graduate school pursuing a career in correcting education disparities for marginalized groups. This book also inspired me to see myself as a global citizen. Before, I was just focused on the injustices that affected me. I now realize that was a position of privilege and that people all over the world are suffering because people like me get to "not care." Since then, I have come to understand myself as a scholar, an activist and a historian. Lastly, this book inspired me to do my own research and write my own books. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing played a critical role in my development as an academic and I would not be where I am today if it had not inspired me.

A practical solution to help more people struggling with mental health complications is to ensure resources that are already available are accessible to more individuals. There are already so many great resources for helping people with their mental health outside of therapy or medication. The issue with many of these support systems is that they are inaccessible to most people. They are inaccessible, firstly, because no one knows about the resources available outside of therapy or medication. There are apps, websites, and institutions that exist to address the disparities keeping people from receiving adequate mental health services. Many of the aforementioned initiatives are small with not much exposure, so they are not easily found. Boosting the information about these necessary services would help more people who struggle with their mental health. Another factor contributing to the inaccessibility of mental health services is cost. The mental health interventions that are at the forefront of our collective awareness are costly. Some individuals may be reluctant to seek help because the out of pocket cost can be significant. Programs to fund therapy sessions or provide grants for medication would be helpful, but it is not the most feasible option. Universal healthcare would make mental health services more accessible to the individuals that need them and thereby ease the struggling associated with mental health complications.

I believe community activism to be one of the tenants of social responsibility. As people, we are inherently responsible for the wellbeing of others. I live out this responsibility in many ways. I served as a counseling aid and group leader at a local public school for a program called "My Girls." The program was established to create safe spaces for minority girls as well as foster interpersonal connection and communal responsibility. It was also imperative that these students be exposed to people who looked like them in occupations that were unfamiliar to them. Expanding the worldview of the next generation of young leaders is a priority of mine. I show my commitment to these students through tutoring and mentorship outside of the program as well. I served as the community service chair of the Howard University Chapel Assistants. In this role, I organized service events that targeted specific needs within the DMV community. I successfully lead a team of committed individuals to fulfill the need for holiday gifts for over 500 DC students. I also implemented a monthly service event for the unhoused community as homelessness is prevalent within the District of Columbia. Additionally, I tackled homelessness through the Wesley Foundation as community ambassador. While holding this position, I went out and spoke to the members of the unhoused community about what they needed so that we could fulfill those needs to the best of our ability as an organization. I partnered with several organizations including Howard University's Alternative Spring Break and Day of Service initiatives. Within these organizations, I served as a site coordinator which entailed making plans for long distance service trips. We have to be the change we want to see in the world and I like to believe I am doing just that.

Mental health in the Black community has been stigmatized and rebranded through culture for many years. These attitudes toward mental health have led to individuals impacted by mental health crises being subject to ridicule and ostracism within the community. Because all Black lives matter, those experiencing mental health issues should be able to find safety and positive regard within the Black community. As a mental health professional, I can attest with certitude that mental health impacts holistic health. The relationship between mind and body is bidirectional: the mind dictates the health of the body just as the body dictates the health of the mind. If there is a deficit in one area, the system of the self cannot function optimally. A utopian vision for mental health in the Black community should include educational supports to combat the stigma around mental health. Much of the disregard associated with Black mental health is steeped in white supremacy and catalyzed by miseducation. Programs to confront stereotypes about mental health and promote prevention practices would help lead the Black community toward acceptance. Further, I believe a barrier to Black community members seeking mental health services is a deep mistrust in doctors and the healthcare system. This is not an unwarranted response as there is a justifiably concerning history of medical maltreatment for people of color. A utopian vision of Black mental health would take into account reparations for the transgressions of the field of medicine against Black people. These reparations should include representative inclusion of Black subjects in research. This would ensure that research findings can be generalized to Black populations and that symptoms unique to the Black experience are included in classroom instruction for subsequent medical professionals. Additionally, a utopian vision of Black mental health should include Black mental health professionals. Having practitioners of color providing services to the Black community would erase the mistrust barrier and decrease misdiagnoses due to negligence and culturally insensitive care. Having benevolent healthcare providers with a broad knowledge base of how to treat Black people’s issues would help to ameliorate some of the harm done by the medical community to the Black community. It is also pertinent that mental health crises, as experienced by Black people in America, are often met with punitive action. Black people are frequently criminalized for having mental health issues as Blackness in itself is often pathologized. A utopian vision of Black mental health would mean access to services to meet needs as opposed to punishment to conceal needs. It is imperative that these services are accessible. In a utopian paradigm, factors such as cost, distance and time should not hinder an individual from receiving the mental health services they need. I believe social justice initiatives in communities of color can be aided by mental health advocacy. The fundamental belief behind mental health care practice is humanity: every person is a distinct individual worthy of regard and care. This fundamental belief underscores that of all movements for social justice. Moreover, mental health care and advocacy can help the Black community in terms of reclaiming their identity from the vestiges of enslavement. For years, Black people weren’t allowed to be unwell: wanting to escape enslavement was considered a mental illness. They were people being treated as property, and it has been scientifically proven that this kind of trauma can be passed down through generations. Accepting the mental health care that our ancestors were denied can help us to process that trauma and reframe our identity barring enslavement. When we, as a people, are well, we can better tackle the other issues affecting our community.