As a Black Man, Am I Allowed to Grieve?

Ahmad Arbury, can black men grieve your death? The mission of this presentation is to discuss the impact of grief on black men in America within the current pandemic of Covid-19. Historically black men have been forced to be providers, sheltering their feelings, enduring mental health challenges, and experiencing systematic racism and oppression through all walks of life. The death and murder of Ahmad Arbury by the hands of two white men is one of the most prominent moments in our current social dynamic that highlights the lack of emotional space black men are given to grieve the loss of one of their own. Can I grieve while I navigate COVID-19? The fears of being a black man get labeled as anxiety within the white washed therapies we have been given to provide for people of color. The goal of this presentation is to deconstruct the false pathology of the experience of being a black man and acknowledge the impact of holding onto multiple traumas and fears at once. The trauma of witnessing another murder of an unarmed black man, the constant racial profiling by law enforcement, and daily microaggressions all impact the mental health and wellness of black men – a reality black men have to hold.

CEUs are pending for this event.