Another motivation behind writing “Willow Weep for Me” was to raise awareness about an issue that is commonly hidden from society. Before Danquah’s memoir, “no one ever made mention” about black women struggling with depression. This absence of diverse narratives surrounding depression reveals yet another way that black experiences are silenced in the United States. Danquah explicitly argues that “no one” was acknowledging that black women struggled with depression and the implications of this absent narrative leaves black communities with no resources or outlets for mental health treatment. Black women shouldn’t have to complain or “gripe” about their depression before their experience is acknowledged. When an entire group is left out of the narrative, the stigma surrounding mental illnesses only becomes stronger. Ignoring an issue prevents it from being fixed and the only way to start dealing with depression in the United States is by giving everyone the opportunity to share their experience with it. In the absence of black patient narratives, not only do individuals within the black community feel alone in their struggles, they don’t feel supported to share their story either. We need more narratives like Danquah’s to start the conversation on mental health in black communities in order to make effective change.
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