Research suggests that black communities face significant systemic challenges when it comes to mental health.
Figures from 2017 found that 23% of black people experienced a mental health related problem in any given week, compared to 17% of white people.
On top of this, according to a study done in 2022, black people are five times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than their white counterparts.
Mike Lawrence, a mental health and wellbeing consultant and best-selling author from Sheffield, outlines a variety of reasons for these disparities, ranging from the impact of historical cycles of daily discrimination, to not seeing marginalised communities represented, triggering a lack of hope for the future.
Mr Lawrence said: “You don’t always see the barriers, but the typical examples are not getting the promotion because of the colour of your skin, or not getting the job.
“You may go to an area that’s predominantly a different race to you. You may be looking to rent a property, and although you sound English, when they see you it’s like ‘oh, it’s gone’.”
The 60-year-old mental health advocate explains that it’s the impact of these prejudices that makes black people feel alienated and hopeless, saying, “It takes longer to get to where you want to be, you can still get there, but those inequalities put barriers in place, so people have given up because of the extra challenges they face.”
Whilst this is a clear problem nationally, Mr Lawrence believes South Yorkshire is falling behind other parts of the country when it comes to celebrating and caring for black minds.
He said, “Sheffield and the outer cities are way behind.
“For example, I go down to London quite a bit and a few weeks ago I was at the UK Black Business Show, celebrating the success of black businesses.
“There were many big organisations aligning themselves with black businesses, and black people from all generations felt inspired. There’s also a similar show in Birmingham, but there isn’t something like that here, and Sheffield is the fifth biggest city in the country, with a sizable black community.”
Mr Lawence has first-hand experience of seeing how representation can inspire hope in future generations, and therefore break the cycle of mental anguish.
Before becoming a mental health advocate, he was the first black Redcoat performer for Butlins in the country, and said, “I didn’t realise how instrumental and pivotal that would be, not necessarily at the time but in years to come.”
Since hanging up his coat, Mr Lawrence is very active in local communities, sitting on various forums within the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, including the Diversity and Inclusions forum and the Health and Wellbeing forum, encouraging people to acknowledge inequalities, then utilise those conversations to enact change.
He said: “A couple of people in those groups have said that the chamber isn’t as inclusive as they’d like it to be, and have asked me what can we do? So I’m connecting some community leaders with the chamber.
“One community leader said to me “Are they ready to hear what we’ve got to say?’, and just from that you can feel that the pain was still there, the anger was still there from those barriers and inequalities.
“If I hadn’t gone and lived in London for all those years, on reflection, I would have the same views.
“Black History Month isn’t enough. There’s a lot of black history. Education is the first part of that talking, because then it shows the younger generation that there is hope and there are other people who are successful who look like you.
“As we commemorate Black History Month, let’s also endeavor to create an inclusive, supportive future that acknowledges the mental health needs of black communities.”
To contact Mike, or find out more about his work, visit his website.