Peace and blessings sisters and brothers!
Approximately 13 men killed themselves on Coffield Unit located in Tennessee Colony, Texas in 2016. The Senior Warden Jeffrey Cotoe always reminds people he is a Christian. But that doesn’t help us this year! All that death and abuse I witness has taken a toll on me! Here’s something I’d like for you to read:
Approximately 13 suicides this year – mental illness is real
What would happen if we reframed the way we understand black male life in a way that took mental health seriously?… If instead of chastising young men for fighting over sneakers we asked why they feel worthless and unseen with-out them.
What if we didn’t label them junkies but rather recognize their need for affirmation.
What if we held our boys clothes when they cried instead of turning them away to face the frustration, pain, and sadness “ like a man.” what if we believed that boys were worthy of second chances that didn’t involve prison cells. What if?
We might start to worry. Then we might start to heal.
Excerpt from Invisible Man, got the whole world watching: a young black man’s education ( Nation Books) by: Mychal Denzel Smith
