Prioritizing mental health with Bettering Black Minds

By GRACE HOGGARTH '22 on September 30, 2024

If you had asked senior Jazmyn Farmer when she started at TU if she anticipated being a student leader on campus, she probably would have told you no.

But through the Bettering Black Minds (BBM) student organization, Farmer overcame significant hurdles in her social anxiety and found her voice supporting the mental well-being of her peers.

BBM aims to dismantle the stigma around mental health in the Black community and create a safe space for Black students to have conversations about mental health.

Farmer joined Bettering Black Minds as a freshman when she was seeking a like-minded community. Having spent her junior and senior years of high school online, her social anxiety was high coming into college, and she wasn’t quite sure how to connect.

After hearing about the supportive environment of the organization, Farmer knew it was the first organization she would join. Becoming the executive board’s events chair in her sophomore year, Farmer has served as the president since 2023.

“Joining Better Black Minds helped me work through my anxiety, challenge my public speaking skills and build bonds with other students,” Farmer says. “I have been able to work in new positions on campus because Bettering Black Minds opened those doors for me.”

The organization hosts meetings every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., where they discuss various mental health topics. They host a plethora of destress events throughout the semester and started a podcast, Chronicles of Melanated Minds, to discuss mental health topics specific to the Black student experience.

The community Farmer joined within BBM enabled her to grow as a student leader at TU and network with other local college students for event planning efforts, including A Day in a Black Woman’s Mind and A Day in a Black Man’s Mind: panels where student leaders discuss how they deal with mental health in the workplace and in leadership roles.

Allowing space to be vulnerable

Organizing and participating in events for BBM gave Farmer confidence to pursue other leadership opportunities on campus to better support her peers.

“I like being able to talk about mental health. It’s a taboo topic in the Black community. Even though it's getting better, it's still hard for a lot of Black students to talk about mental health and find safe spaces to do so,” Farmer says.

Bettering Black Minds led her to become the coordinator of Ujima—a collective of student organizations at TU whose mission is to educate and uplift students who identify as part of the African Diaspora. She is also the assistant director of diversity and inclusion for TU’s SGA and a SAGE mentor.

Candice Aston Ph.D., adviser to Bettering Black Minds and associate professor of psychology, recognizes the value that a student-led organization like BBM offers.

"Given that there can often still be a stigma around mental health in Black communities, providing a safe space for students with shared backgrounds and experiences to participate in events geared to promote positive well-being is crucial," Aston says.

"A recent study from the National Institute of Health recently highlighted the growing number of Black college students experiencing severe depression and many of which report not seeking mental health treatment," she continues.

"As such, a group like Bettering Black Minds can provide Black students with resources about how to seek help and has likely already led to improved outcomes for Black students and I am excited to see how this organization continues to make an impact at TU."

Olivia Foster, vice president of BBM, works closely with patients at Sheppard Pratt and understands the difference it makes for a person to feel heard without judgement. In the organization’s weekly meetings and events, Foster applies the lessons learned from her work to her approach with her peers.

“BBM gives people within the Black community a place to be vulnerable and not feel judgment,” Foster says. “If they’re not able to express their feelings to their family, it gives them a nice outlet so they don’t feel overwhelmed with their own emotions.”

Farmer and Foster encourage fellow Black students to step out of their comfort zone and join the supportive communities that BBM and Ujima foster.

“Within the safe spaces we have on campus, there are big communities full of Black students who want to help,” says Farmer.

Join today

Bettering Black Minds

Join Bettering Black Minds every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in CLA 5303.

Don’t miss upcoming events like A Day in A Black Man’s Mind taking place Nov. 21. (time to be determined).