Watch the new NorthJersey.com documentary “Ending the Stigma: Mental Health in the Black community,” in the video player above or on our YouTube channel.
NorthJersey.com readers may have first learned of Deirdre Allette Asiema at the top of 2023 in Ricardo Kaulessar’s narrative on the suicide of her son, Darren Clark Jr., and the foundation she created in his name to help others who need mental health support. NorthJersey.com and The Record are dedicated to raising awareness of the alarming rise in suicides among Black individuals, particularly those who are younger, and local efforts to erase the stigma of mental illness.
Visual journalist Anne-Marie Caruso is continuing to call attention to this plight. “Ending the Stigma: Mental Health in the Black Community” picks up on Asiema’s commitment to help make sure that no parent, no family member, no friend has to experience the lack of clarity she had. Caruso also introduces us to others, like Kesha Stowe-Spence, who take us through their daily mental health struggles, as well as advocates like Mark T. Williams of the New Jersey chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Williams is passionate about helping the public know what can be done, through even the simplest of measures, to lessen the stigma.
Caruso created “Ending the Stigma: Mental Health in the Black Community” during her 2023 stint as a How We Live fellow. The How We Live fellowship operates within the USA TODAY Network’s Northeast Region. The initiative supports the development of media projects that explore topics at the intersection of race, culture, identity and social justice and beyond. We invite you in the following Q&A to learn more about Caruso and the project, which focuses its lens on what is known as the “invisible pain.”
Q. Why did this topic compel you to pursue it further?
A. I was so moved by Deirdre’s story and how she turned a heartbreaking loss into a force of good for others. She really put herself out there as she organized different events to get the word out about mental illness and offered different resources and coping skills to those who needed help. There is such a stigma surrounding mental illness, and the work Deirdre and Mark do to spread awareness is something I connected with.
The individuals featured are quite candid in their revelations. How do you put people at ease when they’re disclosing intensely personal trauma?
For most of the subjects, I spent time talking to them on the phone before I met them in person. When I did the on-camera interviews, I assured them they didn’t have to talk about anything that makes them uncomfortable, and I would stop recording whenever they wanted.
I am always surprised by how open and willing people are to share such personal and traumatic experiences. I am very thankful to Deirdre Allette Asiema, Kesha Stowe-Spence, Lil Conte, Tana Dupree, Mark Williams and Derby Chukwudi for taking the time to talk to me and to let me document their lives. I always try to approach assignments with empathy, but for this type of assignment it is very important.
Viewers of the documentary will get to learn about local realities they may previously have been unaware of, but what is one thing you would like others to know about that you learned that is not featured in the documentary?
Mark from NAMI New Jersey talked about “mental health courts” and Bill A1700. The idea is to take nonviolent criminal offenders with mental illness out of the court system and into community-based treatment. That is something I would like to explore next year. Essex County has a mental health diversionary program in effect. I would like to look at what they are doing in Essex County and talk to some people who have utilized the program about their experiences.
More about the filmmaker
Anne-Marie Caruso is a USA TODAY Network visual journalist and documentary filmmaker based at NorthJersey.com, The Record and (201) Magazine. She’s been a professional photographer since 2006, shooting news, sports, food, portraits, fashion and still life.
Where to watch
Watch the documentary in the video player at the top of this story. For best viewing experience, cast it from your mobile device to a smart TV. You can find more documentaries by NorthJersey.com here.
More by Anne-Marie Caruso
What is Litefeet?:The moves look improvised. But NYC’s underground dance culture follows the rules
No One Walks Alone:New documentary follows the volunteers who shield patients from anti-abortion protesters
Photos:From majestic sunsets to fun at the park, see our daily photos from Passaic
Jamesetta Miller Walker is the editor for emerging audiences and inclusion storytelling at Delaware Online/The News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Walker oversees the How We Live Fellowship. She can be reached at jmwalker1@gannett.com.