The May issue of The Black Lens aims to catalyze an honest, community-rooted conversation about what it means to heal while Black – and to spotlight the tools, voices and knowledge that help us break cycles, build awareness, and claim our right to rest, care, and joy. It is a reminder: We deserve to be well, and we deserve to thrive.
We examine the lived experiences, inherited legacies and systemic conditions that shape Black mental wellness. From generational patterns to cultural narratives and institutional racism, we explore how these forces continue to impact our collective well-being – and how we begin to chart a path forward rooted in healing, affirmation and thriving.
At the heart of this issue is an in-depth interview with Dr. Charina Carothers, a licensed clinical social worker and scholar whose work centers anti-racist frameworks in mental health care. Her insights underscore the vital importance of recognizing race, identity, and culture as essential to providing effective and affirming support for Black individuals.
As the interim has officially dropped off of my title as Editor, this feels like the right time to say plainly: the work of wellness is a conversation we need to have out loud. Everything around us – politics, parenting, school, jobs, community, survival – stimulates our minds, bodies, and spirits. And yet, what’s often missing in these conversations is how deeply all of these factors affect our health.
We are navigating sweeping political changes, financial strain, the challenges of raising children, graduating college, holding onto jobs – and still, the conversation around how we’re doing is too often silent.
We believe wellness is not a luxury – it’s a right. And just like we analyze economic trends or policy shifts, we must normalize checking in with our inner world. Prioritizing well-being is not a detour from justice work – it is part of it. Mental health, when centered in conversations, becomes a path not only to survival but to health wealth.
As we honor May as Mental Health Awareness Month, this issue of The Black Lens affirms that wellness deserves to be front and center. We hold space for honest dialogue, cultural insight, and Black-centered healing practices that recognize our full humanity. History has shown us that struggle is real – but now, it’s time we also look toward thriving.