A national tour aimed at giving Black men space to address their mental health challenges is stopping in Tallahassee Friday night.
Just Heal, Bro’ is for men only and will begin at 6 p.m. at the Pharmacy Building Auditorium on Florida A&M University’s campus.
This free event will feature a panel of wellness speakers such as actor and health advocate Lamman Rucker (“Why Did I Get Married”; “Meet the Browns”); licensed mental health therapist Jay Barnett, and TLC Channel’s resident therapist, Jason Prendergast.
The 20-city national tour, which includes some HBCU campuses, is seeking to destigmatize mental health in men, especially within Black communities. Panelists will share their personal experiences with mental health and creating a safer space for men.
The free, two-hour event will include small group sessions, information provided by local Black therapists on site, and an opportunity to speak with the panelists as well.
Lawrence Adjah, a marriage and relationship counselor and pastor who serves as the panel moderator, says it has been a privilege to see this movement come to life and witness Black men be open to vulnerability and change.
“It has been overwhelming in a good way,” Adjah told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Seeing brothers of all different generations being in the same room and seeing the sense of relief that they are having. They finally have a place to breathe, to be seen, and to be understood.”
Addressing the stigma of mental health and Black men
The impetus for what is now the Just Heal, Bro’ tour, began as a journal written by Jay Barnett, a suicide attempt survivor. The journal, initiated following the national George Floyd protests, was written as an attempt to help men find their voices and express their thoughts through journaling.
Barnett partnered with Living Hope Productions, a talent and production entertainment agency, and spoke about developing a space for men to discuss mental health.
“I started thinking about Black men and began to consider that as we were experiencing so much secondary trauma, we were not given the opportunity to express and articulate what we felt,” Barnett said. “We wanted to do something where men had the space to hear from other brothers from all walks of life.”
Hope Allen, CEO and Creative Director of Living Hope Productions, says the tour has attracted an average of 500 men.
The event is sponsored by Dell Technologies. The first 200 men who register will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a free Dell laptop.
For more information about the Just Heal, Bro’ tour visit JustHeal.Co.
Democrat Writer Mikiyah Everett can be reached atMeverett@gannett.com