Healing black men and repressed feelings

http://afropunk.com/2017/10/new-crime-drama-examines-healing-culture-teaches-black-men-repress-feelings/

This article talks about a short film, The Paris Project, that reflects the lack of mental health management that is common in the African American culture. The article summarizes the film by shedding a light  on the main character's personal struggles with learning how to deal with his emotions rather than repressing them. The article states:

"Michael’s story of repressed emotions mirrors the experience that many men have and is especially indicative of the way black American culture deals with mental and emotional health. Black men are often taught that expressing their feelings is a sign of weakness. Instead of being guided to seek professional help when dealing with mental illness, black men are often shown that their appropriate response should be synonymous with platitudes like “I ain’t got no worries”.


Repressing feelings and ignoring mental and emotional health problems is very common among black men. It ties into the idea that their masculinity will be stripped away if they express an ounce of emotion. This is a problem because it creates a toxic cycle of toxic masculinity. This article was interesting to read and I plan on watching the short film now. I recommend that others watch it too.