Black Mental Health

Rep. Cori Bush held a listening session Monday for high school students. She vows it's only the first such forum. She’s calling the initiative Congress in Your Classroom.

This time around we’re going to do things a little differently. We partnered with Dr. Kira Banks and the Raising Equity podcast on this episode to discuss movement and mental health. Dr. Banks and I wanted to understand more deeply how people are coping with the feeling of loss, the loss of normalcy, loved ones, jobs, and more. In this episode we hear from a yoga instructor and math teacher about how he combined his passion for yoga with education and then Dr. Banks and I sit down with a local Black therapist who talks about how he shaped the mission of his private practice.

Today, Black artists are describing the trauma of police brutality, the agony of seeing friends suffer violent deaths and the pain of losing loved ones to COVID-19. Black artists in the St. Louis region will showcase works that connect grief and joy in a virtual exhibit from the Griot Museum of Black History on Saturday.

Tracie Berry-McGhee, a licensed therapist and founder of the I Define Me Movement, created the I Define Me Wellness Mobile to reach more girls where they are. The delivery truck-size Wellness Mobile is giving girls of color a safe space to express themselves.

In the past few months, Black therapists have seen a growing number of African American clients. Many are coming in to discuss the lingering trauma of police brutality and racism, St. Louis psychologist Rimiko Thomas said.

Jermar Perry and Bryant Antoine are social workers and friends. They graduated together from St. Louis University's Master of Social Work program in May…