While I personally enjoy the festivities that come with this time of year, I know there is a crucial, often darker perspective to consider: the relentless cultural demand for endless cheer. This hides a very tough mental health challenge that stems less from the changing weather and much more from overwhelming social and familial expectations.
The act of philanthropy is a common denominator that is seen across many Black diaspora’s whether they are from Africa or Afro-Caribbean origins, especially in the United States, where the Black diaspora community have leveraged the holiday season as an opportunity to give back to their communities back home through several philanthropic gestures as well as explore initiatives that fosters progress within the very localities they reside in diaspora.
It is already November, which means we have only a few weeks left until January first arrives, carrying that tremendous, collective weight of mandatory self-improvement.
In Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, barbershops in the town become homes where men find opportunities to bond, receive mentorship and guidance, discover valuable life lessons to address varied issues, and, above all, receive the mental, emotional, and healing support they need to become better men in society.
With names like ‘Let Me Be Onyx’ and ‘Not a Kare-n-the World,’ Dr. Nicole Rayfield’s building a bold brand and a nail polish empire.
When it comes to celebrating the marriage union in Africa, the people tend to go above and beyond to make it a memorable day, infusing their traditions and other rituals.
Grad school is intense. Some weeks feel like I am running on fumes, juggling deadlines, projects, and the constant pressure to prove myself.
The current beauty trend is moving away from treatments that are reactive and invasive and toward treatments that focus on the skin’s basic health to build deep, biological resilience. This new focus is on learning about and helping two important parts that are linked: the epidermal skin barrier and the skin microbiome, which is both delicate and strong.
Growing up in the 90s, our neighborhood thrived on deeply rooted cultural and moral values. The rules of respect were unwritten, but every child knew to always greet those older and never to speak back to an elder. Every young adult knew to give up their seats when they saw an elder without one.
There is a silent moment of clarity many people experience: the realization that they need mental health support. But this moment of honesty is often immediately met with a harsh reality. The doors to traditional therapy are frequently blocked by systemic barriers: the average cost of a session, long waiting lists, and the sheer inconvenience of scheduling appointments around an already impossible life.
