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Around 15 Black students gathered at 119 Euclid — now the Barner-McDuffie House — Wednesday night for a mental health talk titled “Mind your Matter.” Attendees shared and listened to each others’ stories, participated in activities and learned strategies to live stress-free lives.

The talk was co-hosted by Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Barnes Center at the Arch. Two Barnes peer educators, Kelvin Boakye and Kayla Turner, led the event, which was specifically intended for Black students.

“It’s really important … to talk about the intersections that come with being a Black student on a college campus; those kinds of stresses within ourselves,” Turner said. “So I think it’s really important for students to have places like this to be able to pour into themselves.”

According to the presentation, about 50% of Black students report they have never received any mental health education prior to college, which is why Turner and Boakye said they held this talk.

Turner and Boakye began their talk with a discussion of intersectionality. When asked, one student attendee defined her understanding of the term as “being a woman, then being a Black woman,” noting that this can apply to any aspect of a person’s identity.

The speakers engaged attendees in an interactive activity to highlight different aspects of their identities. Attendees stood under various posters — which read “race,” “sexual orientation,” “religion,” “education” and more — on the walls of 119 Euclid’s main hall.

Turner and Boakye asked attendees questions related to the various posters like “Which of these identities do you think about on a day-to-day basis?” and “What part of your identity do you believe is the most misunderstood?” Attendees organized themselves under posters accordingly, explained why they chose to stand under their respective posters and expressed their struggles — or lack thereof — with certain aspects of their identities.

Turner and Boakye wanted students to know the amount of resources available to them at SU, and sought to normalize discussions about mental health. Compared to 61% of white students, 75% of Black students reported that they keep their feelings about the difficulties of college to themselves, according to Turner and Boakye’s presentation.

Turner said peer education presentations are typically “just disseminating information to all students.” Turner and Boakye modified their typical approach, emphasizing their presentation was targeted to Black students specifically.

“Talking about intersectionality and really honing in on points that indicate the stressors that Black students experience differently from other students is really important to be aware of,” Turner said.

One struggle Boakye and Turner said Black students face is intergenerational trauma and centered the middle of their presentation around this topic.

“When we’re talking about intergenerational trauma, let’s talk about resilience as well. The same way that some of the negative qualities of our parents’ upbringings can be passed on to us, so can positive things like resilience,” Turner said. “I like to think about it like recipes — recipes for being resilient — and being buoyant, especially as Black people … how we bounce back.”

Student attendees shared their experience with intergenerational trauma and how they seek to break its “curses.” In light of the students’ responses, Turner shared a quote she had heard herself once: “Where your parents finished off is your starting point.”

“I feel like … bad habits that were passed down from your parents or effects of your trauma show up in your relationships or friendships, and (in going to therapy or getting professional help) you work on those issues and it makes you a better person,” one student attendee said.

Boakye and Turner engaged attendees in another activity where they had the opportunity to write down coping, or “thriving,” strategies to keep in mind when they are stressed or feeling down.

“Not everyone responds to those ‘here are the statistics, here are the coping strategies, have a good day’ presentations,” Turner said. “We always try to make these events interactive.”

Each student wrote down five “thriving strategies” and shared a few with the group. Strategies included meditation, exercising and having a good cry. Turner and Boakye intended for students to take home their list of strategies and look to them in times of need.

Attendees flipped their pieces of paper over and took about 10 minutes to write a letter to comfort their future stressed or depressed selves. When students shared their letters, they received snaps from the group.

Turner and Boakye concluded their presentation by handing out small mirrors and canvases to attendees. Attendees glued mirrors onto the canvases and wrote self-love affirmations. Boakye said he hopes students will look at their crafts every day.

“Having (students) be honest and open, really transparent about the experience that they’re having, is really special,” Turner said. “It makes me really, really happy.”

Published on February 22, 2024 at 1:11 am

Contact Ahna: arflemin@syr.edu