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National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month · Black Girl Interrupted Podcast

0:35
Speaker 1: Oh, what's up? What's up? What's up? Y'all know who
0:37
it is. It's your favorite girl. But if I will
0:41
bring you another episode of Black Girl Interrupted Podcast. Happy Wednesday, everybody.
0:47
I hope everyone is having an amazing day today. Let
0:53
me apologize for not being here last week. These fibro
0:57
flares are starting to come and they're lasting a little
1:01
bit longer than what they normally do. But Hey, here
1:06
we are. I won't complain. I woke up today with
1:10
a roof over my head. I woke up in a
1:11
bed and not in a casket. So I'm grateful for
1:16
being able to see today for, you know. Oh, God. Today,
1:22
today has definitely been a day. But I want to
1:27
start off by checking in with everyone. I want to
1:34
know how you're feeling. September is national. This is a
1:42
very difficult topic for me since I can relate to it.
1:48
And I'm pretty sure there are countless others. But it's
1:52
triggering for me. But it's imperative that we have this
1:58
conversation as we see these suicide cases amongst black men.
2:06
rising tremendously. Anyone that's new to Black Girl Interrupted Podcast,
2:14
I always do a mental health check-in, always. And I
2:18
do these not because it's September, not because it's February,
2:24
not because it's national mental health awareness. I do this
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every day simply because you never know what a person
2:31
is going through. You have people out here that are really,
2:35
truly struggling, but can't share because they don't want to
2:39
be ridiculed or made fun of. I tell people all
2:44
the time, it takes 30 seconds to send a text.
2:47
Send a text, let someone know, hey, I'm thinking about you.
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Hope you're having a great day. Because you don't know
2:53
what that would do to a person's day. I myself,
3:02
I share... my mental issues with the world because I
3:07
want the world to know that it's okay to not
3:10
be okay all the time. I share in hopes of
3:16
helping someone that may be struggling. I share simply because
3:23
I want us all to heal. Mental health is a
3:34
There is a stigma that surrounds it. And I hope
3:40
one day that I'm able to help push the needle
3:44
to show that it's okay to go to therapy. It's
3:48
okay to reach out to someone when you're struggling. It's okay.
3:51
It doesn't mean you're crazy. It doesn't mean there's all
3:55
the stigmas that they have attached to mental health. I
3:59
want to remove that. I want to create safe spaces
4:03
for people to come in and talk, for people to
4:04
come in and relax, for people to be able to unpack,
4:07
for people to be able to take the load off,
4:10
even if it's just one day at a time. I stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress.
4:18
Healing doesn't come overnight. The pain didn't come overnight. The
4:23
trauma didn't come overnight. So please don't go in expecting
4:29
your healing to be In 24 hours. But I also
4:35
want to stress that you have to be willing to
4:37
put in the work. You have to be willing to
4:40
acknowledge that you need help. That was a few things
4:45
that I struggled with myself. Was that I was okay.
4:51
I'm all right. I'll be okay. Let me just pray.
4:54
Let me just, you know, not think about it. But
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it didn't help me. So I did have to reach out.
5:01
To get help. So again, anyone that is new to
5:05
Black Girl Interrupted Podcast, I always do my mental health check-ins. Always, always, always. Again,
5:11
I do these simply because I want to know how
5:13
you're doing. I want to know how you're feeling. I
5:16
want to know where your mental is. I want to
5:18
know how I can assist you and get over that hump.
5:25
Because we all need somebody. Everybody needs somebody. I don't
5:28
care how much you say, oh, I'm strong, I'm strong,
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I'm strong. Yeah, you might be, but I know a
5:36
lot of people are struggling. So to anyone that's watching,
5:45
I pray for you. I pray for your mental. I
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pray that whatever it is that you're going through, you
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make it through.
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Speaker 2: Oh.
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Speaker 1: As y'all can see, I'm really struggling with this, but
5:59
I'm going to push through. I'm going to make it through.
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So again, before we get started, I always place something
6:04
that's inspirational, something that's motivational, something to give you the
6:09
courage and the strength to get up and know that
6:12
you can make it, that it's okay to not be
6:14
okay all the time. Here we go, and then we'll
6:17
jump into tonight's conversation.
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Speaker 3: When you feel like giving up, don't. When you thinking
6:28
about giving up, don't. When it look like you ain't
6:34
gonna make it, keep going. When they tell you you can't,
6:40
come on, man.
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Speaker 4: Who are they?
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Speaker 3: When they tell you you're not gonna make it, don't
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believe them, man. Don't believe them. You got to be relentless.
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Speaker 5: Don't give up.
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Speaker 6: Don't give up.
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Speaker 1: Stay in it.
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Speaker 2: Stay focused.
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Speaker 7: Quitting guarantees the failure. Once you quit, it rules out
7:08
any chance of succeeding. The mere waking up every day,
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putting the next foot in front of the next foot
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at least keeps you in the game.
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Speaker 8: But you can choose in the midst of all of
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this that's going on to be happy and spite of
7:26
life's challenges. See, a lot of us, because of our
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limited vision of ourselves, a lot of us who begin
7:31
to focus on problems and enable them to overwhelm us,
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we begin to think that we have no options.
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Speaker 6: We begin to believe that there's no way out.
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Speaker 1: Well, guess what?
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Speaker 8: There's always a way. Where there's a will, there's a way.
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We have two primary choices in life. We can either
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accept conditions as they exist, or we can take the
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responsibility to change them. See, a lot of people want
7:55
to exempt themselves from taking responsibility. All they want to
7:59
do is talk about the problem. Every time you see them,
8:02
they'll tell you their story over and over and over
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and over again.
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Speaker 6: No, no.
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Speaker 8: You wanna take responsibility.
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Speaker 1: For your life. I got me here, I can get
8:13
me out of this.
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Speaker 6: And I'm getting out.
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Speaker 8: I'm not gonna be a volunteer victim. I'm unstoppable. This
8:22
will not get me down. You've got to make those
8:25
kind of declarations to yourself.
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Speaker 9: I have never met anybody who became incredibly successful in
8:32
any area of their life until they had suffered and
8:35
sweated and sacrificed and kept their focus and fought through
8:40
tears and trials and tests. And if you have a
8:43
dream and you commit to it, it will come to pass.
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Speaker 8: You must have patience and engage in consistent action. We
8:54
live in a world, ladies and gentlemen, where people want
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instant gratification.
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Speaker 6: They want it right now. No, it's simple, but it's
9:00
not easy. It's a system that if you work the system,
9:03
it works if you work it. But make no mistake
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about it.
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Speaker 2: It's hard.
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Speaker 6: You are the determining factor. The people that make it
9:11
in this world look around for the circumstances that they
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want and if they can't find them, they create them.
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Speaker 1: It's you that you must.
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Speaker 6: Take personal responsibility to make it happen. It's hard. No,
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easy is not an option.
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Speaker 10: However, ladies and gentlemen, what you will discover is that
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it's worth it.
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Speaker 6: Write down five reasons.
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Speaker 10: Of why it is worth it for you to become
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a diamond to experience that level of achievement what is
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it that will give you the drive what is it
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that will ignite the courage in you to get up
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and come.
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Speaker 6: Back again and again and.
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Speaker 8: Again how is it that you would be able what
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reasons that.
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Speaker 6: Can tap in to that deep down feeling that goes
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to your gut that no matter how many times you
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get knocked down that you're coming.
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Speaker 2: Back Listen to me, this is how you do it first.
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over six, seven years ago with no money, no human resources,
10:03
no building, no funding, no support. The first thing we
10:07
did was we dreamed, we wrote the dream down, we
10:10
rehearsed the dream, we looked at the dream, we talked
10:13
about the dream, we slept with the dream, we woke
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up to the dream, we wore the dream, and now, boom,
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It's our reality. And for some of you, you stop dreaming.
10:22
You dream for a week and you stop because things
10:24
around you don't look good. You dream for a month
10:27
and when you get hit in the mouth, you quit
10:29
and you give up. You dream for a while and
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when people tell you crazy, when people tell you stupid,
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when people tell you you can never get done, you stop.
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Speaker 3: Dreaming and you go.
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Speaker 8: Back to knowledge.
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Speaker 2: And I dare you to use your imagination. I dare
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you when you broke to use your imagination. I dare
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you when you rich to use your imagination. I dare
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you under every single circumstance Keep dreaming. Keep looking at
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your dream.
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Speaker 6: Keep focusing on your dream.
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Speaker 2: Keep going after the dream because that's where true success is.
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Speaker 1: Man, man, man, that gets heavy. But sometimes you need that.
11:25
Sometimes you need something to motivate you. Sometimes you need
11:29
something to push you, to give you a reason to
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stay in the fight. I want to say to anyone
11:39
that is struggling, I see you. I understand. Keep going.
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You are needed. You're wanted. You are strong. You are resilient.
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You're victorious. And I know you may not have heard
12:01
that today, but I love you. And I'm proud of you.
12:06
I'm proud of the things that you've done. I'm proud
12:08
of the things that you will do. I'm proud of
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the strides you have made this far. I'm proud of
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your accomplishments. I'm proud of anything that you try to do.
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Anything that you attempt to do, I'm proud of you
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either way. Whether you carry it all the way to
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the end or maybe you just start off, I'm proud
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of you for just even trying. I'm proud of you
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for just even having the idea to do. Because I
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know it's rough. I know it gets hard. I know
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it's easier said than done. I know you hear this
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when they say, oh, you just got to keep going.
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Everyone has some strength in them. Everyone. It's just being
12:56
able to dig in and get it and knowing that
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these periods only last for a season. And know that
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this is not your final destination. Know that this is
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not your final chapter. Know that your story is still
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being written. Just don't write yourself off. Because I need you.
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We need you. Your family needs you. Your children need you.
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Your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your brother,
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your sister, your cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews. You're needed.
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You're wanted here. So if anybody has told you that
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you're not wanted, don't listen to them, people. Don't listen
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to them. Don't let outsiders dictate your mood for the day.
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Stop letting people that have not walked in your shoes
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tell your story. Just know that you mean more than anything.
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Maybe not to them, but to me. And maybe I'm
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speaking to myself as I say this. Maybe I'm talking
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to myself while I'm talking to y'all. I'm pouring into
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you as I still continue to pour into myself. Because
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every day is a struggle for me. Every day. There's
14:19
not a day that wakes up that I don't have
14:23
some of those thoughts. But then I think about my purpose.
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I think about why am I here? What is my
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purpose here? I want to be here. I've been fighting
14:39
for everybody else and forgot about me. So fight for you.
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Fight for yourself. You got this. You are a champion
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Don't let one incident determine the rest of your life.
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I know I get it. It hurts. It's hard. I
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just want you to take care of your mental. It's
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okay to take a step back. It's okay to self-isolate
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for a moment until you feel like you're ready. It's
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okay to do that. You don't owe anybody anything. Stop
15:23
apologizing to people when you go ghost for a moment.
15:27
Stop apologizing to people when you take care of yourself.
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That's one of the things that I had to learn
15:37
was to stop apologizing to people when I don't feel
15:40
like talking. If I'm going through something, give me a
15:43
moment to get through it. And then once I get
15:45
through it, then I'll be ready to talk. I don't
15:49
owe you an explanation. I don't owe you a reason why.
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I owe that to myself, just like you owe it
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to yourself to take care of you, to take care
15:58
of your mental. You owe that to you. Stop pouring
16:06
into people that aren't pouring back into you. And while
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you're running on fumes, you filled everybody up. Now you're depleted.
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Now you feel thirsty. Stop that. Because as long as
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you keep giving, people are going to keep taking. And
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we're no longer giving to people that don't give in return.
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You understand? That's where we are right now. So I
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need everyone that is tuned in, everyone that is watching,
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I need you to take a mental break. Even if
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that means distancing yourself from social media, putting your phone
16:44
on do not disturb for 24 hours, going outside, be unapologetic.
16:49
Be selfish with yourself. You understand? Learn to tell people, no,
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I can't do it. Protect your peace at all costs.
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Because I guarantee somebody else is doing that same thing.
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Get up. Pull yourself out of that hole. You don't
17:10
have to sit in that. That's not you. Your mental
17:15
health doesn't determine who you are as a person. I
17:19
know someone right now that is bipolar and is the
17:22
sweetest person in the entire world. And I had to
17:25
tell him, don't let that define who you are. That's
17:29
just a small piece of who you are. You deal
17:32
with depression. You deal with anxiety. We deal with that
17:35
every day. But don't let that determine who you are.
17:38
Stop letting people say, oh, yeah, he's bipolar or she's
17:42
bipolar or she has PTSD. That's just a small portion
17:46
of who you are. You're bigger than that. I look
17:51
in the mirror every day and I tell myself, I'm
17:53
bigger than depression. I'm bigger than anxiety. I'm bigger than
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being bipolar. I'm bigger than all of that. Mental health,
18:05
mental health, mental health. So again, September is National Suicide
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Prevention Awareness Month. Let me say this again. September is
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National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Again, I don't just discuss
18:34
mental health during certain months. I discuss it every day
18:39
because it's an everyday thing. Suicide is on the rise
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amongst our young black men. We have surpassed whites, Asians, Latinos,
18:57
Native Americans when it comes to the suicide rate. I
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stress this because our Black men oftentimes are the ones
19:11
that struggle in silence. Our Black men have been told,
19:19
I'm so sorry, let me rephrase that, have been conditioned
19:22
their whole life to be strong, to toughen up. Why?
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Why are Black women afforded spaces where we could vent,
19:39
where we could decompress, but it's not afforded to our
19:43
Black men? Sad, unfortunately, but true. Why is it always
19:53
the Black man that's told, oh, toughen up, you'll be okay.
19:59
Be strong. Why are our Black men told not to cry,
20:05
not to display any type of emotion? Because it makes
20:08
them look weak. Why are our black men called sassy
20:16
when they're in their most vulnerable state? I despise that.
20:23
Let me just say that. I despise black men being
20:30
told to keep their feelings in check. No. I'm here
20:39
to tell you black men Stop letting the world tell
20:41
you what to do with your feelings and your emotions.
20:46
Stop letting these bitter women tell you that you're sassy
20:53
because you're pouring out your feelings, your heart, your emotions.
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Because I hear this and I see this. I've heard
21:01
black women call black men sassy because he's opening up
21:06
to you. He's pouring out his feelings to you. Not
21:09
all women are safe spaces. And yes, I'm going to
21:12
see that. I may catch flack for that, but that's okay.
21:17
I'm cool with that. Because I was once that black woman.
21:24
Black man, it's okay to be vulnerable. Because you're human first.
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And you have emotions. All humans have emotions. It's disheartening.
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Let me say that. It's very disheartening to know that
21:51
there are not enough resources for Black people to seek help.
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As I was preparing for this show, of course, I
22:09
always do my research. before I do anything, you know,
22:13
before I do a show, because I love stubborn stats.
22:17
I love numbers. And I was looking on, let me
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go back. Let me get it pulled back. Was it
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the CDC? I'm so sorry, y'all. Okay, let me get
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it pulled back up. All right. So in 2024, suicide
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was responsible for 48,824 deaths. Let me repeat that. In 2024,
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suicide was responsible for 48,824 deaths. In 2024, an estimated 14.3
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million adults thought about suicide. 4.6 million planned a suicide attempt.
23:37
And 2.2 million attempted. Let that soak in for just
23:46
a moment. You had 2.2 million people that attempted suicide
23:58
in 2024. 2.2 million. And this was just two years ago. 2.2
24:15
million just two years ago. I'm going to let that
24:31
soak in for just a moment because again, 2.2 million, 4.6
24:33
million planned And then 14.3 million thought about suicide. If
24:53
we're going to go by states, Texas ranged anywhere from 14.60
25:04
to 16.48. I just don't understand why this is not
25:25
talked about enough. 2.2 million people, y'all, listen to me
25:32
when I say this. Again, this was in 2024. 2.2
25:40
million people attempted suicide. So what does that say about
25:45
our healthcare system when it comes to mental health? Because
25:51
why do you have 2.2 million people that have attempted suicide? 2.2 million.
26:05
And then you have 22.2. Again, these are 2024 stats
26:12
per person. 100,000.
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Speaker 2: Men.
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Speaker 1: The suicide rate amongst males in 2024 was nearly four
26:39
times higher than the rate amongst females. Again, why are
26:47
we not talking about this? Like, why are we not
26:50
having these conversations regularly. This is what I don't understand.
26:55
I get on my platform and I push and I
27:03
advocate for mental health in the black community. I do.
27:08
Because I see this amongst our black men that are
27:11
dying by suicide because life got too heavy for them.
27:16
They allowed the depression to win. They allowed the PTSD
27:19
to win. They allowed bipolar to win. So what does
27:23
that say about our health care system? Flawed. Because what
27:29
I don't understand is why are there not accessible resources
27:35
for people of color when it comes to mental health?
27:39
Why are we always taught you got to pray it away?
27:43
Here's a Bible verse. And that's not to say, let
27:46
me first say this. That's not to say God doesn't work.
27:52
But God wouldn't have given us therapists or psychiatrists or
27:55
psychologists if we didn't need a middle person. You understand?
27:59
I remember when I first started doing my podcast and
28:05
I started to share about my struggles with mental health,
28:09
my suicide attempts. And I remember someone told me, they said, oh,
28:15
here's a Bible verse. You just need to read this. Baby,
28:18
let me explain something to you. I'm a pastor's child. Okay.
28:24
I believe in God. But I also needed a person
28:29
in the middle to help me regulate my emotions. I've
28:35
noticed more judgment comes from the church than it does
28:39
anywhere else. And I'm pretty sure y'all are going to
28:41
be like, oh my God, I can't believe she said that.
28:43
But it's the truth. Especially when it comes to mental health.
28:53
Some of these pastors, some of these bishops, these deacons,
28:58
you want to judge people. Stop judging people. So this
29:06
person is dealing with a mental issue. Okay, if you're
29:09
supposed to be a carrier of the word, if you're
29:12
supposed to be a vessel from God, you're supposed to
29:16
be pouring into this person. You're supposed to be encouraging
29:20
this person. You're supposed to be loving on this person.
29:23
And not tearing them down. I said it. Some people
29:30
may be upset with me because, oh, my God, I
29:32
can't believe you're talking about the church. I am. And
29:37
how hard it is for people to go to the church.
29:40
and talk about what they have going on. Somebody had
29:49
to say it. But again, our health system, and I
29:57
see it. Resources are limited when it comes to mental
30:02
health in the Black community. We need more Black therapists,
30:08
more psychiatrists, more psychologists, more people that look like us
30:12
when it comes to mental health. That is not to
30:15
take away and say a non-melanated person can't assist. But
30:20
me personally, I've connected more with someone that looks more
30:24
like me, that can relate to the things that I've endured.
30:30
In my childhood or in my life, in my community. Again,
30:34
don't get up here saying, oh, she's saying white therapists. No,
30:37
that's not what I'm saying. Again, let me repeat and
30:40
make clear. I found a person that looks like me
30:45
that can relate more to the struggles that I've encountered
30:49
or endured in my life. That's all I'm saying. So
30:59
don't go twisting my words, okay? Because I know how
31:01
y'all do. But I just don't understand. I look at
31:14
our community as a whole, the black community, and how
31:21
y'all don't really advocate for mental health until it's knocking
31:25
at your front door. Again, these are conversations we need
31:29
to be having regularly. The way we can get up
31:33
and talk about what's going on in these celebrity lives,
31:36
we need to start making safe spaces for black men
31:39
and black women to come in and be able to
31:41
have these conversations and feel safe. Without the fear of
31:45
being ridiculed or without the fear of someone running and
31:48
telling your business, because sometimes a listening ear can become
31:51
a running mouth. Y'all don't like that. Yes, I'm calling
32:04
y'all out. Yes, I'm telling you. We need to have
32:07
these conversations. We need to recognize the signs. We need
32:15
to start checking on one another and not just because.
32:21
I'm not saying you got to call somebody every day.
32:23
You got to be on the phone with somebody every
32:25
day because I don't want to be on the phone
32:27
every day. I don't want to talk every day. But
32:32
I want y'all to start making commitments to show up
32:35
for your people. Show up for your friends. Show up
32:38
and check up on your strong friends. Because you don't
32:44
know what a person is going through. Behind those laughs,
32:47
those smiles, and those jokes could be a person that's
32:49
really dying on the inside. A person that's struggling. A
32:52
person that's crying out for help. They just don't know
32:55
how to do it. I'm guilty of that. You know,
33:03
I know life be lifin'. When people say, well, Ashley,
33:05
you could always call, yeah, but I know you got
33:08
a lot going on. Make space for that person. Make
33:16
time for that person because you want to do it
33:19
while their eyes are still open and not when the
33:21
lid is closing on their casket. That's one of the
33:27
things that we have to start doing now. So I
33:35
found a little bit of information regarding mental health and
33:44
the silent crisis of black men. Here we go. And
33:47
then we're going to jump back into the conversation.
33:52
Speaker 3: We're watching the Isaiah Factor Uncensored.
33:57
Speaker 11: Welcome and thank you for joining us for the second
33:59
half hour of The Factor Uncensored. For decades, suicide in
34:03
America was viewed largely as a crisis affecting older white men.
34:08
But new CDC reveals a devastating shift. For the first
34:12
time on record, young black men are dying by suicide
34:16
at a higher rate than young white men. In fact,
34:20
the overall rate has surged.
34:21
Speaker 2: More than 50%.
34:23
Speaker 11: 50% in just the last decade. Why is this crisis accelerating?
34:28
We want to hear from you. Send us a text
34:31
at 713-581-9914. Joining us now to talk about it in studio,
34:36
we have licensed professional counselor Abe Turner, returning therapist Rashad Skinner,
34:41
and author Jonathan Russell. So, Jonathan, we did a half-hour
34:45
special with you. You have quite the story, but if
34:48
you can break it down, sum it up, When you
34:51
got to your darkest moment, what did you attempt to do?
34:55
Speaker 4: Well, when it came to that point, I realized that
34:58
it was absolutely nothing else that I could do for myself.
35:03
And it led me into a home that was engulfed
35:07
in flames. And eventually it almost took my life. It
35:11
landed me in jail for approximately about a month or so.
35:16
And as a result of that, I ended up having
35:20
to be on probation for at least five years.
35:24
Speaker 11: And I think you left out an important point for
35:26
our audience. You set the fire with you in the house.
35:30
Speaker 6: Yes, I did.
35:31
Speaker 11: With an attempt to take your life.
35:32
Speaker 4: Yes, I did. I came to a very low point
35:36
in my life to where I just felt like there
35:39
was nothing else for me to live for.
35:42
Speaker 11: Do you think you ever then and now receive.
35:47
The help you needed in order to keep you on
35:50
the path that you're on. And you're a former pastor.
35:53
Speaker 4: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I had a very large support of
35:59
other pastors around me at the time. And then I've
36:03
had also family members that were very supportive, oldest brother.
36:08
very supportive of me. And so that really put me
36:11
back on a path of stability and allowed me to
36:15
be where I am today.
36:17
Speaker 1: Rashad, is that enough?
36:18
Speaker 11: Should there be professional help also in that mix if
36:23
you've gone through such a traumatic experience of trying to
36:27
take your own life?
36:30
Speaker 12: It's not enough, but it works for some. For other people,
36:34
professional help is needed because sometimes We suffer in silence.
36:38
People don't talk about it. Men don't talk about it.
36:40
We go on this whole thing, well, I'm the rock.
36:42
I should keep this in. I have this ego, my
36:45
chismo not to want to tell people things. This stuff
36:48
bubbles up, you know, and life comes at you 50
36:50
million different ways. And then all of a sudden, this happens,
36:54
and people are shocked and appalled. They think this guy
36:57
was on top of the world. He had everything, the
36:59
American dream. But that's because we don't know what's inside.
37:03
We don't know what's been cooking all this time. We
37:05
don't know. It's... I watched a nature show about tigers.
37:09
You never know when that tiger is around you until
37:12
it strikes. It's been there the whole time. That's kind
37:15
of how this is. These things will haunt you and
37:17
chase you. Unlike a real tiger, the real tiger will
37:21
go away. But the tiger that's in your mind goes
37:24
everywhere you go. It is chasing you 24 hours a day.
37:30
It's one of these things where when people.
37:34
Speaker 4: Die by suicide.
37:35
Speaker 12: The reason I say die by suicide, because people think
37:37
that we are committing suicide. It's just like saying, well,
37:41
I committed cancer or I committed.
37:46
Speaker 6: Some other terminal disease.
37:47
Speaker 12: No, that was the end result of this hunt that's
37:52
been digging at you your whole life.
37:55
Speaker 11: And let's bring in Abe really quick. Abe, why are
37:57
we seeing this trend where now we're seeing a significant
38:01
increase in black men considering suicide or attempting to take
38:07
their lives?
38:08
Speaker 5: So I'll take it from a couple of different perspectives.
38:10
What I think is that black men traditionally have been
38:14
overlooked in terms of the data set. I think now
38:18
there's a renewed interest in looking at black men, particularly
38:21
the issues that affect black men, the issues that we
38:24
carry throughout our lives. I think that from the perspective
38:28
now is saying, hey, what's happening with this population? Also,
38:34
we also have social media now. So prior to the
38:38
advent of the social media platforms that we all leverage now,
38:43
you were in your small community. And so you suffered
38:47
in silence. You didn't talk about it. You weren't in
38:50
a space where you could talk. So I think that
38:53
all of these factors are adding to why we're seeing
38:56
this uptick.
38:57
Speaker 11: And Jonathan, is it important if someone says there is
39:00
something going on that we listen as friends, as family members,
39:06
take the time to hear them out instead of saying,
39:09
you know, just get over it?
39:10
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's absolutely true. The problem that I think we
39:16
run into with people is that we don't have good
39:20
listening skills when it comes to listening to the problems
39:24
of various people that are overwhelmed over experiencing overwhelming, uh,
39:30
a lot of problems in life. And so the best
39:33
thing to do is to learn how to listen instead
39:36
of giving advice at, at that time, because that's what
39:40
they want to do. They want to pour out their
39:41
heart to you and actually say it the way that
39:44
they want to say it at that moment to get
39:48
it off their chest. I've, I've had a friend, a
39:51
close friend to take his life. I've had a relative
39:54
take his life and just recently I had a nephew
39:58
to take his life. And it's all about listening, having
40:02
the good listening skills.
40:04
Speaker 11: Important points there. Rashad, also, what would you recommend for
40:07
the community? What's our job when we see someone suffering
40:12
in silence? And many of us can tell it, we
40:14
just ignore it.
40:16
Speaker 12: I mean, I would tell people to remove that stigma.
40:20
I have so many clients that come to me and
40:22
they go, they come to me for therapy, but they
40:24
don't tell people they're going to therapy. They're worried about
40:28
people seeing this as a sign of weakness. And I
40:31
tell them all the time, you know, you ask for
40:32
help and the car's broken. You ask for help with
40:35
the grocery to come in. It's just like that. You know,
40:38
you ask for help for that too. If you need help,
40:42
there is, the stigma is only, it's an external thing.
40:46
If just because someone else says it's Therapy was for...
40:50
you know, crazy people. That's not true. That's just what
40:53
that person says. And a lot of times they say
40:56
that's a weakness from them that they have to deal
40:58
with themselves.
40:58
Speaker 1: Absolutely.
40:59
Speaker 11: We want to thank you all for joining us. Really quick,
41:01
tell us about your book. You have a new book out, Jonathan.
41:04
Speaker 1: Yes.
41:04
Speaker 9: There it is.
41:05
Speaker 4: I have a new book that just come out, Freedom
41:07
from Religious Slavery. It's basically talking about my personal life
41:12
in the ministry and how one thing led to another
41:15
that bring me to that point of suicide, at that
41:18
point of no return. And so it's out right now.
41:24
I think the digital version is out right now. And
41:27
we're waiting on the edited version to come out right now,
41:32
the book itself.
41:34
Speaker 11: We don't want the pastors to jump you when you
41:37
leave the building. You're messing with their hustle. Thank you
41:40
guys for joining us.
41:47
Speaker 1: Sitting there and listening, to these Black men talk about
41:57
the surge in suicide. Let me.
42:17
You look at our Black men as they say, people
42:22
don't listen. You heard them say black men are basically
42:29
taught to suppress their feelings. They're taught to suppress their emotions.
42:41
The stigma around going to therapy. Being told that only
42:50
crazy people go to therapy. I guess I'm crazy then.
42:57
But what can we do as a community to relinquish
43:05
that stigma that has attached itself to mental health in
43:09
the Black community? One of the things that I said
43:19
is listen to somebody. Don't overlook what they're saying to you,
43:27
because that could be a cry for help. No one
43:30
is going to come straight out and say, I want
43:32
to kill myself. There are signs that we don't pay attention.
43:39
We automatically assume, Oh girl, I ain't talked to her
43:42
in such and such amount of days, or maybe she's okay.
43:47
But you don't know what that person is dealing with.
43:51
When people withdraw from the things that they love to
43:53
do the most, when, Yeah, it's triggering for me. Because
44:14
I've walked in those shoes many a days of depression.
44:21
And my heart goes out to anyone that's struggling. This
44:29
is why, you know, this is why I do This
44:33
is why the sole purpose of why I do these
44:37
mental health check-ins is because I know someone out there
44:40
is struggling. I know someone is dealing with their mental
44:43
health right now, but don't have anywhere to turn. They
44:48
don't have anywhere to go. So I want to make
44:57
these spaces safe. This is why I do what I do.
45:02
This is why I push and I advocate for mental
45:06
health in the black community. Because listening again to these
45:11
three black men talk about how they've attempted suicide, how
45:18
they've lost loved ones, how they've lost friends to suicide.
45:26
And then being told that old therapy is for crazy people.
45:30
I guess I'll be crazy. But I'll never stop fighting.
45:37
I'll never stop advocating when it comes to mental health.
45:44
I'll forever keep this conversation going until I can't talk
45:49
about it no more. Because again, I know what it's like.
45:56
I was in those same shoes a year ago. Where
46:03
I wanted to die. Where I wanted the work. I
46:05
just wanted life to end for me. I wanted the pain.
46:08
Let me say this. I wanted the pain to stop.
46:16
So I understand. But I also press and push the
46:22
issue amongst our black men. Because again, for us women,
46:28
we have those spaces where we can get in here,
46:30
where we can talk, kick our shoes off. Have a
46:33
glass of wine. But our men don't have that. Yeah, true,
46:38
they have the barbershop. But outside of that, they don't.
46:45
And they don't talk. I cringe every time I hear
46:57
someone say, oh, men are supposed to be strong. Why
47:01
are you crying? He's hurt.
47:06
Speaker 6: Like, hello?
47:09
Speaker 1: I cringe when I hear that. It makes my blood boil.
47:22
When I realize how flawed the healthcare system is when
47:27
it comes to mental health. I cringe whenever I see
47:39
the numbers. I was going back and looking at the
47:46
numbers again in 2024. And do you realize that people
47:58
ages 80 and older had the highest rates of suicide
48:04
in 2024 80 years old. With it coming in at. 10.0.
48:20
The ages of 15 to 19. But 80. 80 years old.
48:38
had the highest rates of suicide in 2024. Let that
48:43
sink in for a moment. 80 years old. How? Why? Why?
49:06
The hair on my arms just stood up just looking
49:08
at this. Then you look at four times higher. males'
49:21
suicide rate just two years ago. Two years ago. Four
49:29
times higher than females. Where are we failing our people?
49:44
Where are we failing our men? I just, I'm going
49:58
over these numbers and the numbers are steadily increasing. This
50:11
was posted as of May 20, 2026. What can we do?
50:28
What can we do? I look at.
50:37
Speaker 9: My son.
50:47
Speaker 1: And everything that he has endured. I look at the
50:54
people around me that I've lost. That have died. By suicide.
51:05
I look at these black men. Within the last seven
51:09
or eight months. That have committed suicide. I look at
51:24
how we only support when it's cool. I may catch
51:30
some flack for this, but I look at all the
51:34
people that have come out to stand with Lindsey Clancy.
51:43
But you didn't stand with a young man. I cannot,
51:46
my mind is drawing a blank. playing for the Cowboys
51:51
that took his life just a few months ago. I
51:58
saw not one post. I saw not one conversation when
52:08
it comes to discussing suicide in the black community. You
52:15
will get out and you will rally Behind a baby killer.
52:27
But you won't walk and stand with the people in
52:30
your very own community. When it comes to mental health.
52:39
One thing about me. I take mental health very seriously.
52:52
Black people always get the short end of the stick
52:57
when it comes to resources pertaining to your mental health.
53:02
We've been rolled off. It's been chucked up to, oh,
53:09
he'll be okay, here's a pill. She'll be okay, here's
53:14
a pill. The lack of resources that we have to therapists, psychiatrists,
53:25
psychologists that look like us are very slim. The funding
53:30
that was cut for mental health. You absolutely correct. I'm
53:38
getting emotional. Because we struggle every day. Black men and
53:49
black women, we struggle. We get up. We're working two
53:55
or three jobs. We get up. We're working two or
54:03
three jobs just to put food on the table.
54:15
Speaker 2: Mmm.
54:30
Speaker 1: We struggle. We suffer alone. Some of us out here
54:42
dealing with financial problems. How am I going to pay
54:48
this bill? How am I going to put food on
54:49
the table? How am I going to put gas in
54:53
the car to get to and from work? I'm working
54:56
a job that pays me pennies. That's enough to take
55:01
a toll on anybody's mental. But yet, I've seen people
55:14
come out in droves in support of a woman that
55:21
took the life of her three children. I know I
55:26
may catch some flack for this. But that's not to
55:34
say that I lack empathy. I just want to know,
55:46
when are we going to start supporting the ones that
55:48
look like us? That struggle every day. I can't be
56:00
the only one. I need y'all to stand in unity
56:14
and support. Because again, I can't do this by myself.
56:29
I can only do so much. I just, I just
56:41
don't get it. I don't understand. Why are we not
56:46
having more conversations regarding mental health? Why does it take
56:54
for tragedy to happen? for us to have these discussions.
57:03
We have school-aged children that are struggling. We have adults
57:10
that are struggling mentally. And you know why they can't
57:14
tell nobody? Because some of y'all don't mean them any good.
57:20
Some of y'all can't wait to go back and say,
57:24
oh yeah, This is what's going on with this person.
57:27
You can't wait to go and gossip. When you have
57:31
a person that's real live out here struggling mentally. So sad, unfortunately,
57:44
but true. I look at these right here. Let me
57:51
remove this banner out of the way. So here we are.
57:59
What I have up on the screen is suicide rates
58:02
are skyrocketing within the black community. Black Americans faced a
58:13
53% increase in suicide deaths between 2024. I'm so sorry,
58:18
2014 and 2024. 10 years. Let me repeat that. Black
58:29
Americans faced a 53% increase in suicide deaths between 2014
58:37
and 2024. Two years. Excuse me. the toll on black
59:02
boys and young men is devastating. I have to process
59:24
this because those aged 16 to 29 are now dying
59:30
by suicide at rates that are far higher than their
59:41
white peers. Let that marinate for a moment. Between the
59:58
ages of 18 I'm so sorry, 16 to 29. A rate.
1:00:20
So when I say it increased 53% between those 10 years,
1:00:28
a rate that's 10 times more than what white Americans
1:00:32
are seeing and two times the rise among Latino and
1:00:40
Native American groups. Says this crisis is most severe for
1:00:58
black men aged 20 to 24. With a suicide rate
1:01:07
of 31.9 per 100,000. And this is from the CDC.
1:01:25
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I am just speechless.
1:01:48
And y'all know I usually have so much to say.
1:01:59
But what can we do to change that story? We
1:02:06
need to start having those conversations. On a regular. We
1:02:13
need to start checking on our quote unquote strong friends.
1:02:20
Be available. And I'm not saying you got to be
1:02:24
available all the time. But be available. To people. Because again.
1:02:32
You don't know who's struggling. You don't know who's going through.
1:02:35
what it is that they're going through. Because again, it's
1:02:38
so difficult to talk about. And I'm only speaking from experience.
1:02:45
I can count on one hand the number of people
1:02:51
that have supported my mental health journey. I can count
1:02:58
on one hand the number of people Outside of myself
1:03:04
that have these conversations that bring conversations like this to
1:03:08
the table. Again, no one wants to have this conversation
1:03:17
until it's knocking at your door. I share my personal
1:03:27
struggles in hopes of helping somebody because I don't want
1:03:31
you to struggle alone. I know what it feels like
1:03:35
to be in the dark. I understand. I know what
1:03:38
it feels like when the weight of the world gets
1:03:40
too heavy and you don't know what to do. I
1:03:43
understand and I know what it feels like when it
1:03:45
feels like the walls are closing in on you. I
1:03:50
understand it. So why are we not having these conversations?
1:04:02
Why are we not advocating? With numbers like this, why
1:04:07
are we not advocating for mental health? If we could
1:04:11
join together, and I made a post on Facebook maybe
1:04:14
a week or so ago. If we could support these
1:04:21
social media influencers, why are we not supporting the black
1:04:26
community when it comes to mental health? Oh, I forgot
1:04:30
because it's not cool, right? I get it. Let me,
1:04:44
because I want y'all to understand how imperative mental health
1:04:52
is to me. As a person that has endured it,
1:04:58
as a person that had a child that endured it,
1:05:02
as a person that has lost friends to it, I'll
1:05:08
forever be the voice for the voiceless. I will forever
1:05:13
to continue to utilize my platform to have these conversations.
1:05:21
I will never, ever, ever let the conversation on mental
1:05:24
health go dim. Because I take it one day at
1:05:29
a time. I'll never not be a safe space for
1:05:38
a person that's struggling mentally. I will never not hold
1:05:47
your hand and walk with you as you go through
1:05:49
your journey. I will never not be the first person
1:05:59
to speak up and say, hey, I've dealt with mental
1:06:02
health issues. I'm what depression looks like. I'm what anxiety
1:06:08
looks like. I'm what bipolar looks like. Is it rough?
1:06:14
Is it difficult? Absolutely. But I'll never stop being vocal
1:06:22
when it comes to people and mental health in the
1:06:24
black community. I'll never stop. I'll forever keep pushing these conversations.
1:06:36
I'll continue to post. I'll continue to have my mental
1:06:40
health check-ins because that's imperative to me. Because I genuinely
1:06:46
want to know how you're feeling. I genuinely want to
1:06:49
know how you're doing mentally. I genuinely want to know
1:06:53
how can I help you. No, I'm not a therapist.
1:06:57
I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm not a psychologist. I'm only
1:07:00
speaking from experience. First-hand experience. So I'll never stop pushing
1:07:13
these conversations to the front I'll never stop, never, ever,
1:07:17
ever stop telling you that it's okay to not be
1:07:22
okay sometimes. I'll never stop telling you that it's okay
1:07:26
to take some time for yourself. Take a step back.
1:07:29
It's okay to tell people no. It's okay not to
1:07:32
go to that party this weekend. It's okay to do
1:07:36
and take yourself to the spa. Get your nails done.
1:07:41
Get your feet done. Get your nails done. You know,
1:07:43
your hair done. And to my fellas, I'll never tell
1:07:49
you that you are sassy when you are being vulnerable
1:07:52
to me, when you are opening up to me, when
1:07:54
you're pouring your heart out to me. Because guess what?
1:07:58
I don't know what it took for you to feel
1:08:00
safe to share that. And I'm talking to my men
1:08:08
right now. You're human first. Bump what everybody else have
1:08:15
to say when they say, oh, men, you got to
1:08:18
be strong. No, you don't. You don't have to be
1:08:20
strong all the time. It's okay for you to set
1:08:23
the weight of the world down. Black men, you don't
1:08:25
have to carry that. Black women, stop forcing them to
1:08:29
carry that. Be their safe space. You understand? Be a
1:08:35
place where they could come in and they could decompress
1:08:37
without the judgment. without you throwing it in their face
1:08:41
on mad day. That's part of one of the reasons
1:08:43
why men don't open up because we don't make these
1:08:46
spaces safe for them. Yes, I'm getting hype because you
1:08:50
want to know why? Because I deal with black men
1:08:53
all the time they struggle mentally you understand I hear
1:09:00
this I listen to it I see it on social
1:09:03
media I hear and I see the things that people
1:09:05
say about men and how they're struggling and oh they're
1:09:09
sassy oh they're this oh they're that really hey Hansel
1:09:19
I hope you're having a beautiful night tonight at work, love.
1:09:24
But we see this. We hear this. Men don't talk
1:09:34
because we don't listen. We don't pay attention. We always
1:09:42
tell them, oh, it's going to be all right. You'll
1:09:43
be okay. Tomorrow will be a better day. Instead of saying,
1:09:48
What can I help make the rest of today a
1:09:51
better day for you? That's what we do. We got
1:09:58
to do better. We got to do better, people. We really,
1:10:02
truly do. Mentally, we need to show up for our people.
1:10:15
We need to learn to take mental breaks. We need
1:10:21
to learn that it's okay to step away from things
1:10:23
sometimes and come back later. I had this conversation with
1:10:28
my daughter who she's in her junior year in high school.
1:10:36
And she's overwhelmed. And I had to pull my baby
1:10:41
close to me the other day and I had to
1:10:42
tell her, step away from this. Put it down and
1:10:50
come back to it. Clear your mind. Focus on something else.
1:10:56
And then when it's time to come back and do
1:10:58
your homework, you'll have a clear mind. I remember when
1:11:03
my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dealing with him mentally.
1:11:10
He didn't want to talk to me, but he did. Well,
1:11:12
of course, and then I made him talk. So, hey,
1:11:15
go figure. But I expressed to him, your healing depends
1:11:21
on your mental So I say all of that to say,
1:11:28
excuse me. Take care of you. Be present for you.
1:11:39
Stop worrying about what people have to say. Stop worrying
1:11:45
about that. Show up for you. Be selfish with yourself.
1:11:52
Put you first. Be unapologetic about putting yourself first. Yeah,
1:12:00
I know people that make you feel bad. Oh, girl,
1:12:03
you didn't show up for me. Okay, well, did you
1:12:06
show up for me? Because I got to take care
1:12:09
of me. Because there are people out here that depend
1:12:13
on you. There are people out here that love you.
1:12:16
There are people out here that want you. There are
1:12:19
people out here that need you. There are people out
1:12:21
here that enjoy your presence. There are people out here
1:12:23
that enjoy your spirit. There are people that you bring
1:12:29
joy to. Although you may not see it, there are
1:12:33
people you bring joy to. You bring joy to me.
1:12:38
You know, I love seeing my friends posting on Facebook
1:12:43
beautiful things or Instagram or TikTok. I love that. I
1:12:49
love to see when they say, girl, I'm taking care
1:12:52
of myself. I'm doing this. I'm doing that. I love that. Oh,
1:12:59
I love that. I love those self-care days. I love
1:13:05
to see my fellows when they're at the barbershop or
1:13:08
they're at the salon maybe getting a pedicure or a
1:13:11
manicure or they bought themselves something nice. I love that.
1:13:16
Self-care is important. It's imperative that you take care of this.
1:13:26
Take care of your mind first. Because again, like I
1:13:30
told my husband, your healing depends on your mental. Your
1:13:34
healing depends on this up here. It's okay to have
1:13:41
those rough days. It's okay to have those rough moments.
1:13:47
Just don't let those rough days and those rough moments
1:13:51
determine how life goes for you. I want you to win.
1:13:57
I want you to get up. I want you to
1:13:58
be I want you to be precious. I want all
1:14:04
of that. I do. I love to see you smile.
1:14:13
I love to see the joy that not only you
1:14:15
bring to yourself, but to others. I care about your mental.
1:14:24
That's important to me. I'm going to end this episode
1:14:42
excuse me by saying check on your strong people check
1:14:58
on your loved ones Commit to taking time to checking
1:15:08
on your people. Stand in support of people that are
1:15:16
struggling with their mental. Get out and advocate. Take care
1:15:28
of you. Let go of what is out of your control. Yes,
1:15:37
I know everything I'm saying is easier said than done.
1:15:48
Get help. Don't suffer in silence. If you feel those
1:16:00
dark thoughts Check in. Reach out. Don't sit by yourself.
1:16:11
Don't sit alone. Because the worst place you could be
1:16:17
is in your thoughts. I look at how far I've
1:16:31
come in a year. Does it get rough for me
1:16:36
some days?
1:16:37
Speaker 9: It does.
1:16:41
Speaker 1: But I push through. Because I know that was only
1:16:48
a moment. When I feel the world getting a little
1:16:55
too heavy, yeah, I'll take a step back and reevaluate.
1:17:07
I talk to my husband. I talk to my sister.
1:17:12
I get on my podcast and I talk to y'all.
1:17:17
Find ways to release. Healthy ways. Let me say that.
1:17:23
Because you can't drink it away. You can't smoke it away.
1:17:26
You can't sex it away. Because the problem is still
1:17:31
going to be there. Tackle that problem head on, baby.
1:17:40
Because you deserve a happy, peaceful life. Will there be
1:17:45
bumps in the road? Absolutely. Will you fall down? Yeah,
1:17:51
you will. But you get back up. Clean yourself off
1:17:59
and get up and go. Life is so beautiful. Life
1:18:12
is especially beautiful with you in it. We want you here.
1:18:20
We need you here. You deserve to be here. Don't
1:18:27
worry about what people have to say. Don't worry about
1:18:32
what people think about you. Because baby, let me tell you,
1:18:35
they talk about Jesus. Stop worrying about other people's opinions
1:18:42
of you. You know what you are and you know
1:18:46
who you are. We got this. And we going to
1:18:54
make it. Let me tell you, honey, we going to
1:18:57
push through. And we going to look back at this.
1:19:03
And be like, I remember that chapter in my story.
1:19:09
Because remember, your story is still being written. You can
1:19:15
always go back and correct some things. Remember, it's not
1:19:24
how you start. It's how you finish. Bingo. There we are.
1:19:33
So as I close, let me do my midweek vibe check.
1:19:38
So what I have on the screen is what am
1:19:40
I grateful for right now? Life. Have I done something
1:19:46
that I enjoy? I have. My podcast. How am I
1:19:52
feeling today? Honestly, physically and mentally. Mentally, I'm tired. Physically,
1:20:02
I'm exhausted. Am I getting enough sleep? Not like I should.
1:20:09
I'm going to post this on my page. And I
1:20:17
want you all to check in with me. Let me
1:20:20
know how you're doing. Let me know how you're feeling.
1:20:25
What can we do together to help you over this hump?
1:20:36
So I'm dedicating and thinking of those who are fighting
1:20:40
suicidal thoughts, who have lost someone to suicide, someone that
1:20:46
has attempted, have no support, scared to speak up, or
1:20:54
love someone. I can't see the bottom of the banner.
1:20:58
Let me take this off so I can see. Let
1:21:08
me see if I can take this off so I
1:21:10
can get the bottom. He says, so proud of you.
1:21:19
Love our conversation, especially the deep convo. I want to
1:21:23
say to you, thank you for being a safe space
1:21:27
for me where I can come and talk about what's
1:21:34
bothering me without the judgment. So I appreciate you for that. Sugar.
1:21:40
Love someone who is suicidal. That's what it says down
1:21:43
at the bottom of the banner. I do apologize. So
1:21:48
every day I think of those. Not just September. Not
1:21:54
just today, tomorrow. I think about you every day. Because again,
1:21:59
I understand. I know what that feels like. But we
1:22:06
got this. We're going to round out 2026 and maybe
1:22:13
we step in big in 2027. We got this. Don't worry.
1:22:21
All right. All right. So for those, oops, wrong one.
1:22:26
All right. So for the month of September and going
1:22:30
on forth, I'm calling all black business owners and entrepreneurs
1:22:35
to be featured on Black Girl Interrupted podcast. So what
1:22:39
I'm wanting to do is Black Girl Interrupter will still
1:22:43
be the same, but I want to start spotlighting Black
1:22:45
business owners and entrepreneurs. Excuse me. I want to shine
1:22:50
the spotlight on Black excellence in business. I want to
1:22:53
know your story. I want you to inspire others and
1:22:56
I want to help grow your brand. Share your story.
1:23:00
Get the exposure. You make those connections. You grow your
1:23:03
brand and you'll be inspired. Anyone that is interested, If
1:23:08
you're a black business owner or entrepreneur, whether you're a singer, rapper, dancer,
1:23:13
a shoelace maker, baby, I don't care what it is.
1:23:16
I want to know about it. I want to hear
1:23:18
about it. I want to talk about it. I want
1:23:20
to bring you on Black Girl Interrupted podcast so we
1:23:24
can have that conversation. And of course, have us some
1:23:27
girl talk and some girl and guy talking in the
1:23:30
midst of all of that. But I'm definitely going to
1:23:34
post this. You can send me an email. Um, let
1:23:38
me post my email up here. Give me just a moment.
1:23:41
It is, come on, come on, come on. It is
1:23:45
black girl interrupted podcast at gmail.com. That is the email address.
1:23:52
Please allow me 24 to 48 hours to respond to
1:23:56
your email. Um, I'll set up a call and we'll
1:24:01
put everything together, put a date together and the time
1:24:04
and we'll go from there. Because I want to hear
1:24:06
about you. I want to know about you. Come on
1:24:09
here and tell us about you, babe. Don't be scared. Also,
1:24:14
Black Girl Interrupted Podcast.
1:24:16
Speaker 6: Yes, baby.
1:24:17
Speaker 1: We are back. We are back. We are back. We
1:24:20
are back. And we are rolling, sugar. I am so
1:24:24
excited to be back. It feels good. Again, last week
1:24:28
was a really rough week for me. Baby, them fibromyalgia
1:24:32
flares ain't no joke. But here we are. So Black
1:24:36
Girl Interrupted podcast, mental health, self-love, healing, and empowerment. And
1:24:41
this is not only for my women, but this is
1:24:43
for my fellas too. We're going to have those real
1:24:46
conversations with the raw truth and real healing. Don't forget
1:24:51
to like, comment, share, subscribe. Black Girl Interrupted streams every Tuesday,
1:24:56
every Wednesday, Facebook and YouTube, 8 p.m. Central Time, 9 p.m.
1:25:01
Eastern Time. Man, baby, like I said, We are about
1:25:06
to roll out 2026 and we're going to step big
1:25:10
in 2027. So on that note, I just want to
1:25:16
say I love y'all. Happy Wednesday. I hope everyone has
1:25:20
had an amazing week. I hope everyone has an amazing
1:25:24
rest of the week. Hope you have a beautiful weekend
1:25:27
and I'll see y'all back this time next Tuesday, 8 p.m.
1:25:30
Central Time, 9 p.m. Eastern Time. I love you. God
1:25:34
bless you. And I'll see y'all again. Holla!