Jay's latest for The Root in tribute to podcast pioneer Combat Jack

The world lost a legend this week. Lawyer turned podcast icon Regge Ossé, host of The Combat Jack Show passed away this week due to colon cancer. As one of the primary inspirations for our show The Extraordinary Negroes and a hero to Jay, Reggie was responsible for countless hip-hop careers and influencing a generation of podcasters and content creators. Jay put his thoughts into words for Very Smart Brothas. And you should check it out.

"One of my heroes died yesterday.

Yes, losing Prince hurt. As did the death of luminaries such as Dick Gregory and Maurice White. But for all their contributions in moving black culture forward, their statuses as legends were solidified prior to their passing. My fear is that Regginald Ossé, better known as Combat Jack, who at 48 years young succumbed to colon cancer months after announcing his diagnosis, was denied a similar fate."

Read the rest over at VSB.

More from The Combat Jack Show.

Mental Health Monday #41: Repressed Sexuality, Comics as Therapy, NYC 1st Lady's Wellness Initiative for Black Women, etc.

NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray promoting Thrive NYC

On last week's Mental Health Monday, Tiffany Haddish opens up about supporting her mother's journey with schizophrenia, WNBA star Imani Boyette is using her platform to broaden the mental health conversation, and The Grapevine hosted a lively conversation around mental struggles in African communities. Check it out here. 

THIS WEEK'S GOODNESS:

"33 Self-Care Sistahs That Helped Redefine Wellness in 2017" by Siraad Dirshe [ESSENCE]

An undeniable part of this wellness awakening is the countless Black and brown women who use their work and Instagram accounts to help change the historically accepted narrative. From chefs to astrologies and fitness trainers, these ladies reminded us how important it is for us to cherish and protect our magic. 

"Motherhood, Fear, and Truth" by Graeme Seabrook [Medium]

So they will try to tell you to be quiet, mama. No one wants to hear about your mental illness during pregnancy, your traumatic birth. No one wants to hear that you simply don’t want to breastfeed or that you are still breastfeeding your three year old. They do not want you to talk of the mind numbing boredom or the soul crushing fear. They do not want you to tell the truth of the emotional load that has worn this slump into your shoulders or the mental load that has carved those lines around your eyes.

"Black Women and Sexuality: Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t" by Monique Judge [The Root] 

It’s not just our own people who do this to us, but it is worst when our own people do this to us, at least in my opinion. By “our own people,” I mean black men. Why are you so threatened by a black woman owning her sexuality? What is it about a black woman who is expressing her sexuality that makes a black man feel that he has to tear her down for it?

"Couldn't Afford Therapy, So I Made This": Powerful Comic Tackles Mental Health In Black Communities" by Robust Health [AFROPUNK]

The autobiographical comic is 126 pages, and explores mental health and identity within communities of color. Broken up into 5 chapters—Mental Health, Divorce, Nomad, Identity and Reclaiming Space—the stories hone on the specific trauma faced when juggling the sometimes dueling realities of mental health and growing up in Black or brown families.

"NYC’s First Lady Helms New Mental Health Initiative For Black Women" by Victoria Kim [The Fix]

The goal of Sisters Thrive is to train 10,000 black New Yorkers in Mental Health First Aid, and create a ripple effect of mental health awareness and empowerment within the black community.

“We all know what to do if someone is bleeding, if somebody fractures a body part,” said McCray. “But we don’t know what to do if someone has a panic attack or someone is suffering from depression. These are everyday skills that everyone should have.” These skills can be life-saving, but are not normally prioritized.

"Unharm Our Sons: Black Fathers, Masculinity and Mental Health" by Jeff Baker [The Mighty]

“I swallowed all of them!” I blurted out, as I burst into my parents’ room frantically.

Barely looking up from the TV, my father glanced me over, up and down, as if a passerby had cut him off on a busy crosswalk. “Take him to the hospital,” he grumbled. He then continued flipping through the channels, as my mother darted up to find her keys, purse and shoes, scurrying all around the house in a state of panic. Her visceral, instinctive reaction seemed much more rational, considering the urgency in my voice.

If you have a mental health resource, event, or piece of content we should know about, step into our office. You da bess.

Mental Health Monday #40: Taboos in African communities, churchy stigmas, Tiffany Haddish on her mom's mental illness, etc.

On last week's Mental Health Monday, Jay-Z opened up the benefits of therapy, a story about havig a panic attack at church, how GirlTrek is promoting wellness among Black women via walking, Aliya S. King wrote about how hiding mental illness almost killed her, and more. Check it out here. 

THIS WEEK'S GOODNESS:

How is mental wellness handled in modern African or African descendant communities? The Grapevine hosted a panel of young Africans to discuss factors that affect how mental and emotional wellness are approached across the diaspora.

"Black Girl Going Mad" by Rivers Solomon [Guernica]

“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies,” Bessel Van der Kolk argues in The Body Keeps the Score, his book on trauma and recovery. “The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort.” By sixth grade I’d already collected a small backpack’s worth of misfortunes. My mother, baffled, would stare at me as I cried inconsolably and begged her not to make me go to school. By the time I was a teenager, I was already familiar with the numerous ways a body could make itself into a stranger because of pain.

"Why It's Important This 'Girls Trip' Star Is Opening Up About Her Mom's Mental Illness" by T-Kea Blackman [The Mighty]

She couldn’t get all her words out, so she’d just punch me. Just full on. Because of her, I can take a punch like nobody’s business. Teachers would ask, ‘Why’s Tiffany’s lip busted?’ I didn’t say anything. As bad as she was to me, I still couldn’t help but love her.

"What You Learn Making a Film About Black Mental Health in the UK" by Tshepo Mokoena [VICE]

It took a few years to hit breaking point. In January 2015, when Keith Dube was 25, he decided to finally share his struggles with mental health, in the simplest way people have used for the past decade: a blogpost. He wrote about his depression, and coming to terms with his illness enough to face it head-on. But, unlike most people, within a year his stream-of-consciousness blog ended up leading him towards making a film for the BBC.

"Chicago Sky center Imani Boyette is helping break taboo on mental illness" by Terrika Foster-Brasby [The Undefeated]

Using poetry and her WNBA platform, Boyette has become an advocate for mental health, most recently serving as a spokeswoman and summer camp counselor for Sparks of Hope, a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon, that helps children who are survivors of abuse. Through her time speaking out for mental health awareness, she’s observed firsthand the difficulty African-Americans face when approaching this subject. “It is one of the biggest reasons that our community is so heavily afflicted,” said Boyette.

Why is mental illness such a taboo issue in Black churches?

"Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill Founder Commits Suicide in Factory" by Paula Rogo

Lowell Hawthorne, the founder and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, committed suicide Saturday evening in his Bronx factory, according to police.

The founder died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 57.

And because we should all take more opportunities to seek out joy:

Im from Louisiana it doesn’t snow here often 😂❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/jAD0p8MZzQ

— Da'Quan Bellard (@AlmightyChipp) December 8, 2017