Skip to content

Episode 108: The Confess Project: A Network for Mental Health Care in African-American Communities

Wednesday – August 1, 2022

Guests

Dontay Williams
Dontay Williams
Chief Executive Officer of The Confess Project
Darnell L. Rice
Darnell L. Rice
Chief of People of the Confess Project

Description

Barbershops are an important place in black communities. Barbershops are a refuge from discrimination where black men can talk freely about their life and personal experiences. The Confess Project encourages dialogue between African American males about emotional health by training barbers and stylists to become mental health advocates.

While Black adults generally experience the same rates of mental illness as other adults in the United States, the American Psychological Association (APA) finds that Black adults who live below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress compared to those who have greater financial security. The APA also finds that concerns such as illness, poverty, and racial discrimination put Black male youth at greater risk for suicide, depression, and other mental health disabilities.

In this episode of ADA Live!, our guests Dontay Williams and Darnell Rice share about the Confess Project, a peer support network of more than 1400 barbers in 47 cities and 14 states across the U.S. who are inspiring boys, men of color and their families to be better emotionally and creating a culture of better mental health in Black communities.

LISTEN


Audio: Soundcloud Episode 108: The Confess Project: A Network for Mental Health Care in African-American Communities
Web: soundcloud.com/adalive/

READ

EXPLORE

Featured Organization

The Confess Project
The Confess Project began in 2016 in recognition of the need to equip marginalized black men and boys with mental health strategies and coping skills to help them move past their pain. In the African American community alone, suicide is the third leading cause of death. The Confess Project exists to help change that. The vision of The Confess Project is a world without stigma and shame, and one that results in a life expectancy for black boys and men increasing, and legislation that ensures it lasts. For more information about The Confess Project, please visit their website at www.theconfessproject.com.