Black Mental Health Week Begins: A Call to Joy, Healing, and Resistance

Image Credit, AlexaSteh über den Dingen

Today marks the start of Black Mental Health Week, an initiative dedicated to acknowledging the deep mental health impacts of anti-Black racism and fostering healing within Black communities. This year’s theme, “Joy as Resistance,” is a powerful reminder that finding and cultivating joy is itself an act of defiance against systemic oppression. The week is not simply about awareness—it is about survival, resilience, and reclaiming cultural strength in the face of persistent barriers.

Black Mental Health Week first began in 2020 when Toronto recognized the urgent need to address the specific ways racism affects the mental health of Black individuals. What started as a single day of recognition expanded into a full week by 2021, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, community-led discussions, and the promotion of culturally responsive mental health care. Unlike general mental health initiatives, this week acknowledges the unique and compounding effects of systemic racism, historical discrimination, and exclusion, which continue to disproportionately impact Black communities.

This year’s theme embraces the transformative power of joy, emphasizing the importance of celebrating Black resilience, storytelling, music, dance, and humor as critical elements of healing. Afrocentric principles such as Ubuntu and Sankofa serve as guiding philosophies, reinforcing the idea that mental well-being is deeply tied to collective strength and historical consciousness. Events throughout the week will highlight the importance of art, laughter, relationships, and healing spaces designed specifically for Black voices.

The reality is that mainstream mental health systems have long failed Black communities, offering solutions that ignore the structural roots of racial trauma. This week is not just about raising awareness but about demanding change, rejecting superficial acknowledgments, and fighting for a world where Black mental health is prioritized, protected, and valued every day, not just for a single week in March.

So as you reflect, honestly ask yourself—what does it mean? Whether you spend a quiet moment alone or hours on the phone, whether it’s a video chat, a friend request, or just a simple text message while sitting at your desk, texting away at the airport because your flight’s delayed, or just a phone call to talk to someone on your drive to work, these are all moments that nurture mental health in the smallest yet most meaningful ways. They are cherished, they matter, and in this week and beyond, it is vital to find ways to break up the patterns that wear us down. Look for the little things that bring you joy, the moments that remind you of your own resilience. Elevate your mental health, whatever that means to you, and hold on to it like it belongs to you—because it does. Either way, you feel it. Letting somebody know they are important.