Leadership : Don ’ t Do It For the Fame ! By : Dr . LaMonte Prime
In recent times we see the re-occurrence of racial propaganda and news about the treatment of people of so-called minority groups in the good ole United States of America ! It further leads to the discussion of mental wellness in the African American culture . There are current international rallies , mourning over unexplained forces of brutality in social structures across the globe which dominates most societies . More specifically in OUR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , the alleged land of the free and the home of the brave , racism still exists ! Our minds are affected by its type of classism . It was once an overt system which enabled slavery . Then it became more covert ( but not so much ) through the movements of civil rights and affirmative action calls for justice . Now through these same systems institutionalized racist constructs are very overt again ! The highly publicized in mainstream media ! With the help of the World Wide Web and local / social media , we are constantly exposed to such injustices . Just pause for a moment , think to yourself : What are we doing to our minds ? People should truly be concerned with our national wellness both mentally and socially because the nature of our future depends on it !
I am obligated to speak on the matter as a not only a citizen who was reared in a very racist southern political and social structure . I also speak from the perspective of a trained and certified mental health therapist . I experienced racism in every social structure of my life ! When I say that , I mean every facet from my family to school , church and employment . In friendships , professional / social organizations , medical institutions and even financial structures I have been subjected to this beast . Not only do I speak as a civilian but as a United States military veteran . I can identify as a man who wore the uniform , yet also stood in many protests against political structures , choices and laws . According to the Journal of Counseling Psychology , perceived racism for African American adults can cause trauma leading to not only mental but future physical ailments as well . ( Pierterse , 2011 )
This topic is thought-provoking and challenging , but what does this have to do with current leadership ? Why is this racial tension , something so important to the American social structure , yet it seems to continue to be placed on the back burner of social fabric ? Sometimes I feel like Moses . Here I am , yet and still a voice crying out in the wilderness when it comes to the cause and effect of racism in the United States of America .
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