Organized by The Chicago Association of Black Psychologists
By Obari Cartman Ph.D.
According to the Chicago Tribune, 97 Black people died by suicide in 2020. Ages ranged from 9 to 84 years old. Please pause for a moment of silent reflection to honor the gravity of those lives lost and the turmoil left in the hearts and minds, of their families. It has become so easy to skim past statistics without recognizing that each number represents a whole human being.
An entire array of unique memories, life experiences, goals and dreams, gifts, talents, and purposeful destinies were lost 97 times last year. An epidemic within a pan-demic, in the midst of generations of trauma.
Our organization is not exclusive to psychologists. Our membership also consists of educators, parents, social workers, and other community members concerned about the mental health of Black Chicago.
here, some surviving, some thriving, looking forward to many more years of laughter, creativity, learning, and joy. For those of us that still have hope, we must do better to reach out to those among us who may have lost their way.
The Chicago Black Suicide Task Force is just an idea for now. A big idea. An urgent idea. But an idea nonetheless. The suicide prevention task force was conceived by the Chicago Association of Black Psychologists. We are the local chapter of an international organization that has specialized in the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-ness of Black people for over 50 years.
Our organization is not exclusive to psychologists. Our membership also consists of educators, parents, social workers, and other community members concerned about the mental health of Black Chicago. We are clear that many of the problems that plague Black Chicagoans have direct connections to identity, values, and mental wellness.
The causes of the problems are systemic racism, community disinvestment, and intergenerational trauma. Those problems manifest in a variety of social, emotional, and interpersonal conflicts within the Black community.
City officials are often compelled to direct resources towards law enforcement to address community problems, concerned about immediate safety. Too often Chicago has tried to control or punish away problems, that have always been mental health issues. It is an easy mistake to make, especially with problems that have a victim such as car-jackings, intimate partner violence, and gun violence. Even most community members call the police first to contain those problems.
The causes of the problems are systemic racism, community disinvestment, and intergenerational trauma. Those problems manifest in a variety of social, emotional, and interpersonal conflicts within the Black community.
As mental health professionals, we conceive all these problems as ours to solve. Suicide, however, is a problem more obviously ours. The victim is less clearly identified. We can’t arrest or punish our way out of suicide. So, then what can we do?
All we know for sure is that we must do something. Silence and apathy are deadly. This will require collaboration, more than any individual or organization can do. We need the strategists, funders, healers, artists, grassroots organizers, educators, parents, youth, and everyone else who are tired of losing people, for whatever reason. The Chicago Association of Black Psychologists is rich with resources within our own organization.
We know there are brilliant and talented individuals and groups all around this city. The idea of us coming together, combining our skills, passion, and resources to raise awareness, plan and execute solutions for this specific problem of Black suicide, is an idea that excites us to no end. One of the many lessons learned in 2020, is that no one is coming to save us. We must be our own solutions.
If you are interested in joining us on this journey towards healing and liberation for Black Chicago, please send us an email to chicagochapter.abpsi@gmail.com. That’s the first step. That’s the ask. Let’s find each other. Let’s connect. Then we will vision together and make commitments to save lives.
Obari Cartman, Ph.D., is an author, community psychologist, and current president of the Chicago Association of Black Psychologists
We need the strategists, funders, healers, artists, grassroots organizers, educators, parents, youth, and everyone else whose tired of losing people, for whatever reason.
