A tour aimed at mental health for Black males is stopping in Tallahassee. The Just Heal, Bro’ tour is sponsored by Dell Technologies, and will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, at the Pharmacy Building Auditorium on Florida A&M University’s campus.
This free event will display a group of therapists, health advocates and mental health experts who have traveled across the country to share their personal stories and create a safe, male-only space.
The tour is seeking to destigmatize mental health within Black communities. According to the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, African American adults are 20% more likely to experience issues regarding mental health than the rest of the population.
Lawrence Adjah, community builder and relational intelligence expert, says it has been a privilege to see this movement come to life and witness men Black men be open to vulnerability and change.
“It has been overwhelming in a good way,” Adjah said. “Seeing brothers of all different generations being in the same room and seeing the sense of relief that they are having. They finally have a place to breathe, to be seen, and to be understood.”
Shortly after the George Floyd protests in 2020, Just Heal, Bro’ began as a journal written by a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, Jay Barnett. The journal was written as an attempt to help men find their voices and express their thoughts through journaling.
Barnett is also a suicide attempt survivor and is now a licensed therapist. He partnered with Living Hope Productions and spoke about creating a developmental space for men that had never been done before. A while later, the tour was born.
“I started thinking about Black men and began to consider that as we were experiencing so much secondary trauma, we were not given the opportunity to express and articulate what we felt,” Barnett said. “We wanted to do something where men had the space to hear from other brothers’ from all walks of life.”
During this two-hour event, men will have the opportunity to speak with the panelists, learn about local mental health resources, and connect with each other in small groups.
Hope Allen, CEO and creative director of Living Hope Productions, says it is already a bold step of courage for men to come to this event, which is why the event will be free.
“We never want to have any barriers or reasons why a man would not come to a mental health event like this,” Allen said. “We always say we invite the backward caps and the bow ties because everyone is welcomed, and we want them to feel that way.”
Allen also says the Just Heal, Bro’ event is looking to host 500 men, based on their attendance average. The first 200 men who register will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a free Dell laptop.
The event is open to the public and FAMU students.
For more information about the Just Heal, Bro’ tour visit JustHeal.Co.