Mental health is essentially the state of our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than White people. With lived experience of UK psychiatric services, our Black-led team resonates with the different systemic and cultural barriers faced by Black people in distress. 

Wellbeing can be described as experiencing life positively, feeling good, comfortable, healthy or happy. Being a disability-led Black-run organisation, we recognise that colonial perceptions of health can be oppressive. We know that we are more at risk of dying of Covid-19 and due to financial difficulties, it is often harder for us to access state dispensed healthcare. At Black Mind we hold staff “check in”s daily because building safer, culturally informed wellbeing practice is key to preserving Black wellbeing.

Justice is seen as the condition of a situation being morally correct or fair. We recognise that in a racist world and with a criminal justice system that violates us, the concept of fairness can feel like a fantasy. As Black people, we are tasked with healing the wounds of intergenerational trauma and so Black Mind sees reimagining justice to include remembering our roots to the earth as a key liberation practice. Using indigenous research and creativity, we encourage restoration, transformation and creative disruption of community spaces to prioritise our most overlooked humans and nonhumans. See the Why page for more.

Joy is generally the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good, satisfying or pleasurable. There is something very special about experiencing joy with other Black people. We recognise and celebrate this unapologetically. We are devoted to bringing light, playfulness and pleasure to the work that is racial healing.