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MILWAUKEE — A young man in Milwaukee has made it his mission to get more Black men talking openly about their mental health.
Artemus Johnson created a monthly meet-up he calls Talk Trauma. Once a month, on a Tuesday night, Johnson invites Black men in the community to come and talk about anything on their minds.
Johnson said if they don’t want to talk, they can just sit in the supportive group.
“I call it the safe spot for Black men, because helping them out is definitely helping the community I live in,” said Johnson.
Sometimes dozens of men show up. Other times, just a few come. Regardless of the number of attendees, the most important part for Johnson is that men in Milwaukee to know he’s always available to talk and listen.
He started Talk Trauma three years ago by having live discussions on Facebook. Johnson noticed a common thread among his friends.
“A lot of us were struggling with the same thing and nobody said anything about it,” he said.
Not long ago, his own struggles seemed too difficult to bear.
“One of the most real thoughts I ever had in my life was standing at that cliff saying to myself, regardless of what was going on, that everybody would be OK if I’m not here,” Johnson said.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), suicide is the third leading cause of death among Black men aged 15 to 24. NAMI also finds that Black men are statistically less likely to seek help for mental health challenges. When they do, they are more likely to receive inadequate care.
“People don’t talk about how often Black men take their own lives,” said Johnson. “We don’t talk about those numbers.”
He said all too often, Black men feel like society does not value their lives, let alone their feelings.
“Men don’t cry,” Johnson said. “Men don’t deal with their emotions. Men don’t actually talk about how they feel. It’s always a sign of weakness. There’s an entire generation of men who raised men just like that.”
Talk Trauma is his way of trying to change that narrative.
“That’s what this is all about,” he said. “Really addressing those things that we have hid in our closets, that we have swept under the rugs, that we have put in the furthest recesses of our mind because we don’t want to actually deal with it. We don’t want to have to face it. We don’t want to have to take off the masks.”
Johnson is breaking the silence, one discussion at a time.
He said he believes talking is the first step in healing. By creating a space to share and listen, Johnson said he hopes he’s helping improve the lives of Black men in Milwaukee.