Melanin Unity

By my sixth grade year I had survived three suicide attempts, my wrist had been covered in scars that I knew would be there forever and thoughts that no child should have but I did. The thoughts of a mentally unstable black teen is often prayed upon or ignored due to lack of belief that mental illness can kill you. While I had been away in the mental institution I thought my parents would have finally understood just how hard it is for me interact with people or how hard it was for me to take another breath and be thankful.  My mother's laugh is what kept me from taking my own life but that soon changed when her laugh was directed at the black girl that thinks she's white. "I almost thought I was dealing with a white kid for a second." she exclaimed as we arrived at what used to be my favorite restaurant. The thought of her understanding my mental illness was eliminated, I'd never felt so belittled. I couldn't help but think of all the black teens we lost ...

The words that come after the phrase “It’s just funny how…” are hardly ever funny. It’s complicated how that phrase has always been used as a way to neutralize negative emotions. Those words could genuinely mean that something’s humorous or light-hearted but the words and the tone they carry, usually don’t. “It’s just funny how you never truly know who’s there for you.” “It’s just funny how amazing opportunities can burn out in an instant.” It’s just funny how people have a hard time being direct. This phrase is simply a technique meant to deflect the true feelings a person has. No one wants to be disrupted by gnarled, toxic feelings. But it’s very strange how this feeling, in particular, is not special or granted to a select few; we all deal with this, yet it’s not talked about and deemed taboo. The perception of everything being peachy keen and light-filled is a very impractical one. It’s dishonest for someone to front like they have it all together, and maintaining ...