Study sheds light on the impact of racism on black men’s suicides

According to a brand new study from the University of Georgia, one in three black men living in rural Georgia has considered death or suicide in the past two weeks. Their experiences with racism as children may play a key role in the pattern.

As stated, studies enlighten growing up in an environment with limited resources and experiencing racism while growing up makes it difficult to construct deep and satisfying relationships with others. Feelings of distrust and being very wary of relationships can result in feelings of isolation, which ends up in thoughts of death and suicide.

As Michael Curtis, one of the study’s co-authors, told the website: “When we take into consideration suicidal thoughts, I believe we frequently don’t concentrate to where the differences are and who’s most in danger. We just realize it’s flawed, especially amongst young black men.”

Curtis continued: “Historically, research has not spent much time and effort examining what are the unique cultural contexts that make some men more vulnerable to suicidal ideation than others.”

The number of black men dying by suicide is increasing at an alarming rate.

In their 2023 book, authors Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin L. Smith detailed their beliefs identified the need for changes a conversation about black men’s mental health. Smith told NPR: “(Among) black boys and black men, suicide rates are on the rise. The pace is accelerating faster than any other group in the country, in the United States. So we have to ask ourselves why.”

Smith also contextualized the compilation of internalized anti-blackness, saying, “How is it that black boys are sometimes viewed as scary and dangerous, even after they are 6, 7, or 10 years old? The experience the white world has with them is skin color and gender, which taken together creates a level of fear. So the person I’m describing, who’s pathological and demonized, can swallow it as if these lies are true, after which never reveal it and be treated for what it has cost her to be black and male in America.

In reference to the study, Curtis said childhood experiences became increasingly essential as the Black men they interviewed entered maturity.

“We found that Black men exposed to childhood adversity could develop an internal understanding of the world as a place where they were devalued, where they could not trust others and could not engage their communities in a supportive way,” Curtis said. “Engaging in social support is critical for young Black men who face many challenges on the path to success.”

Steven Kogan, lead writer of the study and a professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia, said one technique to combat suicidal thoughts and other negative reactions to anti-Black racism is to instill self-love in Black children.

“More research is needed, but one finding is clear: Loving yourself as a black person is fundamental,” Kogan said. “Teaching children and adolescents to be proud of being black counteracts their potential to internalize the negative messages about blackness that permeate U.S. society.”