Suicide is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, with one person dying by suicide every 11 minutes.1 It can be difficult to understand why people commit suicide.

I watched Heathers for the first time in 2018. Que Será, Será by Sly and the Family Stone played at the end of the film and really solidified my decision to kill myself. 

I'm really happy that people get to know this! I'm really glad I've been able to interview people who are willing to share these truths. Thank you Chantell Frazier, Ph.D. (She/Her) for these gems!

In this episode we discuss:
-How to take responsibility of yourself
-Why people need to attempt to make things right
-What values can come against your wellbeing

According to a study by McKinsey & Company in 2022, 63% of diversity and inclusion leadership roles were occupied by White women. I already knew this before seeing the study but what I want to know is what the hell do they be talkin' about?

Without space for White people to do what they need to do, we are constantly expected to hold this space and to tolerate their stunted emotional maturity around their history. I want and they need a White History Month.

I saw a creator once talk about how White women's ongoing celebration of entering the work force completely ignores how  Black women have never been afforded rest. I was reminded of this gem during this holiday, Labor Day. 

Anti-Blackness refers to actions or behaviors that minimize, marginalize or devalue the full participation of Black people in life. The spectrum of anti-Black actions and behaviors spans from unconscious bias to motivated acts of prejudice. They include the tolerance of or indifference to the under-representation, differential success and advancement, or experience of Black people in the university.

In fact many of the people inhabiting islands within the Polynesian triangle and those who proudly call themselves People of the Pacific or Pacific Islanders first migrated from West Africa. Hell, there’s even a place called Melanesia. The White-washing of history, mass genocide and raping of local people has lead many to believe this is not true but I know y’all see the physical features the same way I do. I touched on a lot of this in my pieces Moana is Trash and The AAPI Acronym.

mayed is a design researcher and creative strategist. They bring a critically-informed approach to community-centered design that seeks to advance culturally thriving and sustainably empowering outcomes. Inside and out, mayed is an abolitionist at heart. They seek to articulate the ways in which carceral logics and discourses are reproduced in our lives, and dream of the ways in which we can liberate ourselves and reclaim the freedom to define our own realities.

his is exactly why whenever “the female dollar” or “women’s rights” are mentioned the same White women are showcased without any mention of anyone else effected. The truth is this mediocracy is praised and expected. The idea that White women represent all women is why she has such a cult like following. I covered a lot more on this in my piece The Extremely Intentional Disconnect but you’re still a “Swiftie” because you love not being held accountable for your actions and hope that with very little change to your harmful behavior you’ll be given the same handclaps she receives.

At some point people are going to show you whether they are able and willing to support you. They will show you whether they prioritize your needs. Thank you Mondo Vaden (He/They) for sharing your experiences and teaching us when to walk away!

With more White women assisting in the banning of history being taught in schools, it’s not a surprise to see that some want to ban conversations on empathy as well. Because if you don’t see certain people aka other humans as humans you don’t have to treat them as such. You don’t have to pay them fairly, you don’t have to secure their human rights, you don’t even have to acknowledge their humanity. You can just continue to uphold the disconnect and reap all the benefits.

I’d love for these conversations to happen in school but it’s not looking good with more and more legislation being passed to prevent conversations on race, gender and sexuality. I know many organization’s probably steer away from including parents and children because of the over-sexualization of the LGBTQIA+ community, the community’s relationship with substance use along with the fear of pursuant slander that “the community is grooming children” but the kids are gay. They’ll be gay whether you help them, educate them or not. I’d much rather live in a world where my kid doesn’t have to hide who they are or take years to connect the dots because they didn’t have access to this information.

The BIPOC Complex is what I call it when a person who is not White causes harm and uses the same script as White people but throws in BIPOC. These actions create a dynamic that forces fake solidarity and dismisses appropriation or other harm caused under the umbrella. It begs for a connection or intimate relationship that very little of us have outside the fact that we are not White and that we experience the effects of White Supremacy culture. It screams “we’re all in this together” when history has shown us time and time again that we are not.

Fear is stifling and it also doesn't tell us what to do. No emotions tell us what to do, but without proper regulation, fear can really mess some things up, especially when we put fear at the forefront of our policy making practices, process making practices, or how we build relationships.

On any given day, there are nearly 424,000 children in foster care in the United States. This is me at age 4. I’d enter the foster care system for the first time a year later.

In 2019, over 672,000 children spent time in U.S. foster care. Black, LBGTQIA+ and youths with mental illnesses are disproportionately placed in foster care. Black youths are twice as likely to be placed in foster care as White youths. These youths often come from families living below the poverty line; poverty and all of the issues related to it increase the likelihood of substance use and homelessness.

I can’t help but feel like this is some sort of “BIPOC complex” mixed with an inflated ego. The idea that just because you aren’t a White man means you’d be the best choice to be involved with the storytelling for other people who aren’t White, even if they aren’t from your community is absurd. It also solidifies that you don’t have to be White to participate in White Supremacy culture. I’m sure he won’t be saying no to projects soon but I really wish he would.

Avi is an actor and voice-over artist. They come from a theatre background, having performed in a number of stage productions and is also the narrator of several audiobooks including the New York Times Best Seller Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Lastly, you can hear them as the voice behind Raine Whispers on Disney Channel's animated series The Owl House.

I’m going through one of the hardest times in my life and I really wish I had my dad. I’ve been no contact with my parents for almost 5 years now and I need y’all to know that grief is still the same even if the person is still living.

It would be foolish if I didn’t also mention generational trauma stemming from White supremacy as a factor to these cultural exchanges and customs. I still don’t have a firm list of affirmations even after all these years but I am more knowledgable about their crucial affect on my mental health. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a firm list but I do know I’ll always go back to “I call you ‘sun’ because you shine like one”.

I'm not hired to give history lessons. I've done some presentations about bias and Black mental health disparities and I have directed people to a book. I specialize in what patients need right now in the moment. How do we help them in the immediacy? And if you need history to help you help them, that's fine, but I'm gonna direct you to a book.