Close Menu
Healthtost
  • News
  • Mental Health
  • Men’s Health
  • Women’s Health
  • Skin Care
  • Sexual Health
  • Pregnancy
  • Nutrition
  • Fitness
What's Hot

The new gene therapy developed by UAB for ALS is taking an orphan drug

July 15, 2025

Cortisol connection – pink stork

July 15, 2025

Lucie thome of bébé foodie – oh my baby

July 15, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclaimer
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Healthtost
SUBSCRIBE
  • News

    The new gene therapy developed by UAB for ALS is taking an orphan drug

    July 15, 2025

    The new cell input trail improves the effects of gene therapy

    July 15, 2025

    The popular sugar substitute could increase the risk of blood clots and strokes

    July 14, 2025

    Infections of Chlamydia Pneumoniae and Sars-COV-2 can play a role in Alzheimer’s pathogenesis

    July 14, 2025

    Undearactive thyroid is linked to increased risk of overgrowth of the small intestine

    July 13, 2025
  • Mental Health

    Exercise can significantly benefit the mental health of adolescents – here they say the items

    July 13, 2025

    Awareness Month for Mental Health 2025: Turn awareness into action

    July 9, 2025

    This meat restaurant is still a tempting perspective

    July 8, 2025

    Are the psychic drugs bad? Myths of antipsychiatric collapse with science

    July 5, 2025

    Mental health in England is really worse – our research found that one in five adults is struggling

    July 4, 2025
  • Men’s Health

    Lung Cancer test revolution with eagle model

    July 14, 2025

    Did the “materialists” put you in surgery with limbs? Here is what you really need to earn 6 inches, according to a surgeon

    July 14, 2025

    We heal ourselves by healing our world: Brenda Snow Healthcare Maven Extraordinaire

    July 13, 2025

    What is the connection between ketamine and bladder?

    July 9, 2025

    Triceps Dips builds stronger hands with effective workouts

    July 9, 2025
  • Women’s Health

    Treatment, pleasure and rehabilitation – Vuvatech

    July 14, 2025

    Why 24 -hour bowel support is important in probiotic

    July 14, 2025

    Workout to match your personality type

    July 12, 2025

    7 gender positions to try your favorite chair

    July 12, 2025

    Menopause and dementia – how to say symptoms separately

    July 11, 2025
  • Skin Care

    Itching, irritated, angry scalp? Try this

    July 14, 2025

    What are free radicals and how do they affect the skin?

    July 13, 2025

    How to make a DIY hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum

    July 12, 2025

    Summer 2025 beauty and fashion

    July 11, 2025

    The microbial and the barrier of the skin: the systematic approach of Oumere

    July 10, 2025
  • Sexual Health

    Medicare for Visa holders: What is Medicare card in Australia?

    July 13, 2025

    Facing patients with movie movies

    July 13, 2025

    Options groups are looking for stricter rules for displacement of Mifepristone drugs

    July 10, 2025

    Improving High Quality Family Planning Access by Placing ‘Universal’ to ‘UHC Plans’

    July 9, 2025

    How to masturbate without a game

    July 6, 2025
  • Pregnancy

    Cortisol connection – pink stork

    July 15, 2025

    Can your sleep program really predict timely work? This new study says yes

    July 14, 2025

    Swollen legs during pregnancy: here is 13 home-remedies

    July 9, 2025

    What should every woman know about hormonal stress – pink stork

    July 8, 2025

    New studies links pregnancy diet to the risk of type 1 diabetes to children

    July 7, 2025
  • Nutrition

    Lucie thome of bébé foodie – oh my baby

    July 15, 2025

    Easy -based plants: 5 tips for beginners to start your journey

    July 12, 2025

    3 ways to redefine yourself (by a dietician!)

    July 11, 2025

    Rice health benefits: A dietary overview

    July 10, 2025

    You probably don’t have these conditions.

    July 10, 2025
  • Fitness

    The truth about calories against calories

    July 13, 2025

    Because their 80 -year -olds go beyond all of us

    July 12, 2025

    As a coach of a college women’s basketball team, I emphasize the mentality of steady success

    July 10, 2025

    6 factors that affect muscle strength

    July 10, 2025

    7 Errors Style to Avoid

    July 9, 2025
Healthtost
Home»Sexual Health»Racism and Mental Health: The Kenyan Story – Brooke
Sexual Health

Racism and Mental Health: The Kenyan Story – Brooke

healthtostBy healthtostMay 27, 2024No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email
Racism And Mental Health: The Kenyan Story – Brooke
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Email

Content warning: Suicide, racism

I first tried to kill myself when I was a teenager. From that point through my teenage years and throughout my 20s, I would suffer from various mental health difficulties on a grand scale, staring death in the face one too many times. When you experience that and come through the other side, you start to think about the situations you’ve been in and if society was different for black people, others like me wouldn’t see the dim bright lights of the hospital. .

I was born in the mid 90’s to a 2nd generation Windrush. I was born right on the cusp of being part of the millennial generation that remembers Myspace and sends daily love to my Bebo friends. My dad’s side is Jamaican and my mom’s dad is from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (my nan is Finnish). I grew up knowing that being black is something beautiful and something to be proud of. Family barbeques with reggae billowing on the decks, rice peas, curry goat and fried chicken galore.

I wasn’t born ashamed of being Black, so why did I grow up wishing I lived in a different body over time?

From small to ‘other’ involuntarily. Some teachers just decided they didn’t like me. Someone would randomly stop talking while teaching, look at me and accuse me of trying to break the keyboard (I didn’t even do a damn thing!). Someone would call my mom saying they scared me, kid because I was a “big girl.” One would come up to me, get up in my face so strongly that I could feel the warmth of her breath and tell me that “I’m not going to get anywhere in life” and one would frightfully bully me to the point of no return – I was done with life, and I was only a child.

While these instances may not seem like much to some, they all translate into racist experiences. You are treating me differently for no good reason other than you have formed a stereotype about me. Plus, I watched the boys entertain my white friends while I struggled to find my identity. I wore hot pants to Oceana because I wanted to be loved, but unfortunately a lot of my sexual experiences when I was younger were non-consensual, with boys saying it didn’t happen because they “would never date someone like me.”

All of this started the snowball of my anger and self-hatred.

Everyone else seemed to hate me, so why shouldn’t I? I didn’t have words for it at the time, but I was so lonely and depressed and it carried over into my life. I couldn’t get up for school, cried myself to sleep and wondered why I was different. I could not, at that age, understand the injustice. And to be honest, even when you’re an adult, things haven’t exactly changed. But I began to understand what was happening and why.

As an adult, I began to see the same dynamic play out in the workplace as well as in my friendships and romantic relationships. I began to gain more knowledge about racism when I began to seek it out by reading, talking openly with white and black friends, and finding community. But after the killing of George Floyd I started talking about my past experiences publicly. I began to understand activism and find my voice. Suddenly your voice became powerful and helpful to others only it seemed to frustrate some white people more, to the point where they became more openly racist than before, which just solidified how systemic racism is. Ultimately, it always comes down to people not listening, being defensive, not reflecting on their own behavior and blaming you for everything. Every black man I talk to has a similar, if not the same, story. You talk, you shut down and people make decisions for you instead of you.

This pattern repeats itself over and over until you start to think you’re crazy – you’re not.

And it is this cycle that has ultimately been so detrimental to my mental health. When you’re a gasser, your emotions get pushed to the side, you start to lose hope. It feels like you’re struggling to be heard and sometimes you just have to accept that some people will never understand your experience. But the difference is that some people try to understand and take action to do better, instead of getting defensive and never changing their perspective – it’s these people who have made me realize that change is possible.

I’m turning 30 soon and I’ve been able to think a lot about my relationships and how racism can play out in a person’s life, but also recognize the intersectional levels within communities. Luckily I did a lot of healing, I mean… a lot! Can you blame me? And now I know there’s nothing wrong with me – I’m pretty awesome! My experiences have fueled my work in advocating for change. I have an amazing support network around me, lots of people who are actively anti-racist and I’ve slowly started to see those who unfortunately aren’t and it’s time to let that dynamic go. It’s been hard, but finding peace and protecting yourself is paramount to your mental health, and I look forward to continuing to meet people in life who want to lift you up and have your back when it comes to racism, instead of download, ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. Listening can save the life of someone like me, get the job done, be a true ally and let communities speak.

Get support

If you are worried about your mental health or the mental health of someone else, there are many places that can offer you help and support. You don’t need to diagnose, you don’t even need to know what exactly is wrong. Whenever you’re ready to talk to someone, you can.

Brooke health Kenyan mental Racism Story
bhanuprakash.cg
healthtost
  • Website

Related Posts

Exercise can significantly benefit the mental health of adolescents – here they say the items

July 13, 2025

Medicare for Visa holders: What is Medicare card in Australia?

July 13, 2025

Facing patients with movie movies

July 13, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Don't Miss
News

The new gene therapy developed by UAB for ALS is taking an orphan drug

By healthtostJuly 15, 20250

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given an orphan drug to a new…

Cortisol connection – pink stork

July 15, 2025

Lucie thome of bébé foodie – oh my baby

July 15, 2025

The new cell input trail improves the effects of gene therapy

July 15, 2025
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
TAGS
Baby benefits body brain cancer care Day Diet disease exercise finds Fitness food Guide health healthy heart Improve Life Loss Men mental Natural Nutrition Patients Pregnancy protein research reveals Review risk routine sex sexual Skin study Therapy Tips Top Training Treatment ways weight women Workout
About Us
About Us

Welcome to HealthTost, your trusted source for breaking health news, expert insights, and wellness inspiration. At HealthTost, we are committed to delivering accurate, timely, and empowering information to help you make informed decisions about your health and well-being.

Latest Articles

The new gene therapy developed by UAB for ALS is taking an orphan drug

July 15, 2025

Cortisol connection – pink stork

July 15, 2025

Lucie thome of bébé foodie – oh my baby

July 15, 2025
New Comments
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    © 2025 HealthTost. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.