SLAVE NARRATIVE #33: Real Thoughts and Experiences from the Perspectives of Massachusetts Prisoners

Mental Health in the Black Community:
The Genesis
By
Universal Born Allah

In order for true democracy to become a reality in the lives of the American citizens in the here and now we must first begin to meticulously examine with an impartial eye the very tenets upon which “our” democracy was found. Let’s start by defining what is the meaning of a democracy.

Democracy-  \ di-ˈmä-krə-sē \ n., pl. – cies
1: Government by the people; esp : rule of the majority
2: A government in which the supreme power is held by the people
3: A political unit that has a democratic government
4: Cap. : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the U.S.
5: The common people esp. when constituting the source of political authority …

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus 2006

In other words a democracy is an institution of laws and principles through which the ruling class citizens exercises its authority for a common cause. Well, if this is so what are the said laws and principles that make up this institution of democracy? It is the fundamental unified body of ideological statutes that is designed to protect the rights of all citizens in our country otherwise known as the United States Constitution.

The United States Constitution was written and introduced in the year of 1780 about eleven years after America garnered er independence and a time in American history when disenfranchisement for Black people was at its zenith. When Black people were considered to be less than three-fifths (3/5) of a human being meaning even a stray dog had more rights in this country than Black people did. This simply shows that when the United States Constitution was inaugurated “our” country’s statesmen did not have the best interest of Black people at heart. Thus, the United States Constitution was not applicable to Black people in its birth period which would apparently explain why the very rights of Black people in American have been non-existent since our arrival into this foreign land in the year 1619.

Although Black people since the days of the Jim Crow era have been consistent in their demands to be recognized as fellow citizens of this country called America it is not enough to just make a demand for change for it is incumbent for us all as a unified people to be the change that we so desperately been longing for. Hence, in order to realistically address the issue of equal citizenship we as Black people must conduct a true inventory of self in initiating the process of being able to identify the origin or root cause as to why we have yet to improve the condition of our lives and stop running away from our past which brings me to the discussion of the ever growing mental health epidemic that has been plaguing Black communities across the nation for generations.

The current mental health condition of Black people in American ban be attributed and traced back to 17th century Sir William Lynch (better known as Willie Lynch) a once wealthy and powerful British slave owner who in the year of 1712 arrived on the bank of the James River in Virginia from the West Indies to give a presentation entitled ‘The Making of a Slave’ teaching slave owners in America how to methodically implement various techniques and tactics into the breaking process of the Black man woman and child starting with age, color, and sex turning the young against the old, light against dark, female against male and vice versa ultimately instilling a psychological sense of hate and distrust among the slaves and a false sense of security and trust within the slave wonder. Divide and conquer.

What is a very key factor in the speech by Willie Lynch that must be highlighted is the accentuation in the articulation of his narrative noting that if the methods of the breaking process was employed correctly the system would operate on its own accord eventually becoming self perpetuating in its effectiveness on the psyche of the Black mind that would last at the very least for the next three centuries. Despite the tremendous strides that Black people have made in this country thus far the distressful conditions of the Black family in todays society is evidently and affirmation to the foresight of Willie Lynch that must be seen for what is really is and not what it appears to be; that the mental illness of the Black community is essentially rooted in what is now called ‘the Willie Lynch Syndrome.’

The Willie Lynch syndrome is an unofficial socio medical terminology that defines the social dysfunctions of todays Black generation genetically inherited from our ancestors who experienced the hours of chattel slavery first hand. To further grasp this concept let’s define the word syndrome; a syndrome is an assemblage of signs and symptoms that develop together in characterization of a particular abnormality or ailment (author’s definition). The symptoms of the Willie Lynch syndrome include but are not limited to; self-hatred, domestic violence, Black on Black violence, and a complex of inferiority.

Needless to say these symptoms have been written off an disregarded by all institutions of society as a myth or science fiction in it’s relation to the Willie Lynch syndrome. Collectively these illnesses amount to what has been recognized as post traumatic slavery disorder.

Post traumatic slavery disorder is the mental sickness of the Black mind stemming from the atrocities incurred by our forebears during the Black Holocaust that intimately correlates to the disparaging social impact currently destroying the minds of Black people generation after generation. Like the WIllie Lynch syndrome, post traumatic slavery disorder has also been overlooked and rejected by scientists in the medical field as a fable. But what makes post traumatic stress disorder anymore credible or worth researching than post traumatic slavery disorder? Is this not racial prejudice?

To begin reversing the effects of post traumatic slavery disorder pathologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and nutritionist alike just first objectively perform their own independent research of this disorder to truthfully validate unto themselves and those abroad that post traumatic slavery disorder is an actual infirmity of the Black mind and one this study has been clinically confirmed as such they are mutually obligated to diagnose post traumatic slavery disorder for what it truly is; a traumatic psychological disease distinct from post traumatic stress disorder that has been rapidly killing off the Black population in America in astronomical numbers never seen before. One of the killing tools of PTSD that has been politically instrumental in the proliferation of the death of Black people in America is a clause that exist in the United States Constitution that was specifically designed to target Black people and is most certainly a contributing factor in the genocide of Black people that is alive to this very day. The infamous 13th Amendment.

The mental health of the Black community is the genesis to abolishing the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution which is a complete hypocrisy and a total mockery to the fundamental rights of our nations citizens particularly Black citizens as it prohibits the act of forced slavery while permitting involuntary servitude all in the same breath.

Politically speaking, this is a matter for Congress for in order to abolish the 13th Amendment the issue would have to survive the three (3) branches of the government. However this fight for constitutional reform must start from within the heart of the inner city community that have been mostly effected by it’s existence. But how do we expect to abolish the 13th Amendment, end mass incarceration, and life without parole (LWOP) sentences if we don’t collaboratively attack and reverse the autonomous cycle of Willie Lynchism at it’s root? Nowadays, Black people can’t even agree on more simplistic matters such as supporting Black owned businesses or attending community board meetings rather than always going to the clubs to shake our butts or make it rain.

Black people have suffered so much from psychological trauma that we’ve literally become numb and desensitized to the reality of white supremacy (or white nationalism as it is called today) and systematic slavery in all districts of todays society so much that registering our votes is no longer a necessity or of any importance especially since we’ve been tricked to believe that the Black vote doesn’t county for anything. But no longer can we be victims to the tricknowledge of popular opinion. No longer can we just sit idle around venting to each other about how unhappy or dissatisfied we are with the unfortunate conditions of our lives nor an we just hand around and wait for Congress to do for us what we are capable of doing on our own. No more excuses!

Our most greatest strength is in numbers so let the liberty of our people in captivity of the prison industrial complex (modern day slave plantation) be the common cause of the motivating factor and the incentive to unify and mobilize ourselves to actualize the evolution of true democracy. Because if we as Black people don’t step up and fight for this righteous cause then we are no better than the system we are suppost to be fighting against to bring our brothers and sisters home from prison. It’s on you, it’s on us. No more excuses!

-Peace

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