Depressed While Black

Depressed While Black DEPRESSED WHILE BLACK is an online community that shares mental health stories from an African-American lens.

DWB has grown into an online community, an in-progress book, and a nonprofit providing Black-affirming personal care items to patients. Imadé (ee-MAH-day) is a writer and mental health advocate who founded Depressed While Black. She is a suicide attempt survivor who lives with clinical depression and borderline personality disorder. Imadé first developed Depressed While Black as her 2015 Columbia University Non-Fiction Creative Writing MFA thesis. She is now in the process of filing paperwork for Depressed While Black to become a non-profit organization. DepressedWhileBlack.com

Booking/Contact: DepressedWhileBlack@gmail.com

We are celebrating 100 years of by uplifting an important truth: Black people invented mental health treatment!Imhotep...
02/26/2026

We are celebrating 100 years of by uplifting an important truth: Black people invented mental health treatment!

Imhotep (top left) was an Egyptian medical practitioner who is believed to be responsible for much of the innovative knowledge of the Ebers Papyrus document that identified mental conditions like depression and dementia.

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser (top middle) is the first African-American woman with a doctoral degree in psychology.

Dr. Frantz Fanon (top right) spoke of the psychological damage of colonialism while treating Algerian soldiers during their revolution.

Dr. Thomas Lambo (bottom left) was a post-colonial mental health professional who created Aro Village, a community-based outpatient program that embraced Nigerian traditions.

Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (bottom middle), along with her husband Dr. Kenneth Clark, were expert witnesses in Brown vs. Board of Education. They are known for their doll experiments that revealed the psychological effects of white supremacy in the lives of black children.

Erica Woodland (bottom right) is the Founding Director of National Q***r & Trans Therapists of Color Network

Thank you to the dedicated staff at Duke Children's Hospital (Duke Health) for distributing our Black-affirming care ite...
02/13/2026

Thank you to the dedicated staff at Duke Children's Hospital (Duke Health) for distributing our Black-affirming care items with dignity and love!

With the support of your donations and our Borealis Philanthropy grant, we provided 100 BELLA+CANVAS sweatshirts and t-shirts, as well as over 160 undergarments like sports bras, boxers, and underwear.

Our children deserve the best! And because of your support, we provide high-quality care items that can help children live with ease.

And staff benefit too! We handle Black haircare needs so staff can focus on their jobs. Hospital staff also shared that our donations help patients feel good about themselves and de-escalate conflict that can arise from not having enough.

We're celebrating by proudly saying that abundance is our birthright. Every psychiatric patient is worthy of care!

Quick selfie at Greensboro to drop off our first batch of sweatshirts. We donated 38 today. More to come!
12/26/2025

Quick selfie at Greensboro to drop off our first batch of sweatshirts. We donated 38 today. More to come!




12/25/2025

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

We're looking back on a holiday memory that is dear to our hearts. Last year, with the support of The Future Fund of Greensboro, we donated 225 Black Beauty Supply Kits to psychiatric patients at Cone Health Greensboro! Thanks to the generosity of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, which supports the Future Fund Initiative, these kits were available to psychiatric patients across all four units at Cone Health Behavioral Health in Greensboro.

Our longtime partner Hairizon went above and beyond in planning a volunteer packing event to make this possible.

We talked about what this donation means for patients. We were joined by Cone Health staff and our connector, Greg Liggs, who provides peer support services for Cone Health patients as the CPSS Supervisor for the Kellin Foundation.

We are grateful to every single person who made this possible. With your giving, you made a powerful statement that psychiatric patients are worthy of care.

You can donate today at depressedwhileblack.org

"Thank you for donating to us. I really do appreciate it. Even when I was living in a group home, it was hard to get thi...
12/24/2025

"Thank you for donating to us. I really do appreciate it. Even when I was living in a group home, it was hard to get things that I needed. It was always the cheap stuff that didn't last or smell good. Now I get to have lotion that smells good, and I feel so much cleaner. I've been in the hospital for my issues many times and this is the first time they let me wear actual clothes. They told me that you donated some of those clothes too and I am thankful because it makes it me feel more normal." - Adolescent Psychiatric Patient

Your giving can radically improve the lives of patients we serve. With your support, we give Black-affirming care items that help patients live a normal life. Your donations mean psychiatric patients can look and feel exactly how they want to.

This holiday season, as you shop for last-minute gifts for family and friends, consider making a donation to support children and adults in psychiatric hospitals.

You can make a difference:
-$16 sweatshirts to keep patients warm
-$50 Black Beauty Supply Kits for patients to nourish their skin and hair

Donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/depressed-while-black

Just dropped off Christmas gifts for a child at Duke Children’s Hospital! We wanted to give some holiday cheer, because ...
12/23/2025

Just dropped off Christmas gifts for a child at Duke Children’s Hospital! We wanted to give some holiday cheer, because spending the holidays in a psychiatric emergency room can be challenging.

With your giving, we provided clothes and hygiene items on their wish list, including Nike attire, just as they requested. These are some of the items we donated:

36 pairs of Nike socks
7 Nike shirts
1 Nike Tech suit
3 Jackets
2 Old Spice Deodorant
4 Old Spice Body Wash
3 Jeans
5 Sweatpants
1 Toiletry Bag
5 Basketball Shorts




"To be able to see the light in their eyes when they come out of their room feeling clean and looking clean, it's so ref...
12/21/2025

"To be able to see the light in their eyes when they come out of their room feeling clean and looking clean, it's so refreshing because we can see how much of a difference these donations make to their day-to-day stay in the hospital. To us, some of those items seem like 'no big deal,' however, to these kids, it's what can help provide them with dignity and comfort." - Psychiatric Hospital Staff Member

Many of the patients we serve are Black children in dire situations. They may be in foster care, or they have a kinship caregiver stepping in after a parent lost custody. These transitions, between hospitals, foster care, and group homes, mean they are more likely to receive prison-grade products that do not make them feel confident or clean.

Every psychiatric patient has the right to feel clean. Give the gift of normalcy and give the gift of home this holiday season. We need your support in donating a $50 Black Beauty Supply Kit made by Hairizon. This includes body wash, shampoo, hair oil, and conditioner. And there's no pressure to give. Simply sharing our campaign can remove stigma, so patients are treated with the care they deserve.

Give now: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/depressed-while-black

"Giving patients the basic items they need, even a small item like Chapstick makes them feel like a person" - Former Sta...
12/12/2025

"Giving patients the basic items they need, even a small item like Chapstick makes them feel like a person" - Former Staff Member at Alamance Regional Behavioral Health

Imagine a time when you had chapped lips for an uncomfortable amount of time. If you were in a psychiatric hospital, could you fully participate in group therapy without feeling self-conscious? Or talk to a psychiatrist?

Every day, psychiatric patients are deprived of the care items they need to be their full selves. This can feel worse during the holiday season, when we are bombarded with ads promoting products we can't afford.

You can support psychiatric patients by giving a Black Beauty Supply Kit with shea butter lip balm lovingly made by Hairizon, a Black-owned business based in Durham, NC.

You have the power to give dignity to psychiatric patients, so they're not defined by their mental health needs.

Donate today: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/depressed-while-black

We’re launching a holiday fundraising campaign! 🎁You can give the gift of home to psychiatric patients. Our goal is to g...
12/08/2025

We’re launching a holiday fundraising campaign! 🎁

You can give the gift of home to psychiatric patients. Our goal is to give 200 hospital-approved sweatshirts to psychiatric patients at Cone Health Greensboro. Each sweatshirt costs $16, but the warmth you give will be priceless. Everyone has the right to be warm. If a patient can regulate their body temperature, they're more likely to regulate their emotions. Warmth is wellness.

We are also inviting you to purchase a $50 Black Beauty Supply Kit if you have the resources. With this donation, you are giving patients the power to transform into their best selves. Hospital staff have told us that children become so proud of their hair that their full personality comes back.

We thank you in advance for your support, in any way that fits your budget. And there's no pressure to give. Simply sharing our campaign can remove stigma, so patients are treated with the care they deserve.

Donate: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/depressed-while-black

11/24/2025

Estoy agradecido de ser africano y llevar el nombre de mis antepasados. Pero la semana pasada, esa fue precisamente la razón por la que me quedé en casa, mientras el ICE y la Patrulla Fronteriza descendían sobre la ciudad que considero mi hogar. Durante varios días, el ICE sembró el miedo y el terror en la zona del Triángulo. El ICE se centró en las comunidades latinas e incluso amenazó a una guardería con niños principalmente de color. Sabemos que esto forma parte de un esfuerzo más amplio para llevar a cabo una limpieza étnica de las comunidades BIPOC y expulsarnos del país que hemos construido.

Me enfureció tener que llevar los mismos «papeles de libertad» que llevaban mis ancestros. Por mi seguridad, viajaba con mi pasaporte estadounidense cuando iba a trabajar. Durante varios días, muchos negocios cerraron, lo que provocó que las comunidades de inmigrantes perdieran los ingresos que necesitan para prosperar. Miles de estudiantes se quedaron en casa, como yo, perdiendo un tiempo de instrucción muy valioso en el aula. Todo esto perjudica significativamente la salud mental de los jóvenes y hace que los niños maduren prematuramente al obligarlos a enfrentarse a situaciones aterradoras en las que tienen que ser los protectores de sus padres.

A pesar de todo esto, recuperamos nuestro poder. Me uní a personas de todos los orígenes que proclamaban que Durham es nuestra ciudad. Liberamos nuestra rabia y nos comprometimos a luchar. Grité consignas por encima del sonido de los tambores que marcaban el ritmo de nuestra protesta. Los estudiantes salieron de la escuela y vistieron ropa indígena para expresar su orgullo. La protesta se convirtió en una exhibición de coches, mientras los manifestantes ondeaban banderas en desafío a todas las fuerzas que intentaban silenciarnos. Me quedé allí, deseando sentir la alegría de esta protesta por el resto de mi vida. Porque cuando luchamos, ganamos.

I’m grateful to be African and carry the name of my ancestors. But this past week, that was the very reason I stayed ind...
11/24/2025

I’m grateful to be African and carry the name of my ancestors. But this past week, that was the very reason I stayed indoors as ICE and Border Patrol descended upon the city I call home. For several days, ICE brought fear and terror to the Triangle area. ICE targeted Latine communities and even threatened a daycare with primarily children of color. We know that this is part of a larger effort to ethnically cleanse BIPOC communities and remove us from the country we built.

I felt enraged that I had to carry the same “freedom papers” that my ancestors did. For my safety, I traveled with my US passport when I went to work. For several days, many businesses shut down, causing immigrant communities to lose the income they need to thrive. Thousands of students stayed home, like I did, losing precious instruction time in the classroom. All of this significantly harms youth mental health and adultifies children by forcing them into terrorizing scenarios where they have to be their parents’ protector.

Despite all of this, we took our power back. I joined people of all backgrounds who proclaimed Durham is our city. We released our rage and made a commitment to fight back. I yelled chants over the sound of drums that formed the heartbeat of our protest. Students walked out of school and wore indigenous clothing to express their pride. The protest turned into a car show as protesters waved Mexican flags in defiance of all the forces trying to silence us. I stood there, wanting to feel the joy of this protest for the rest of my life. Because when we fight, we win.

Thank you, Cone Health Foundation, for helping us launch our Heal at Home Pilot Program! With the Partnering for Health ...
10/28/2025

Thank you, Cone Health Foundation, for helping us launch our Heal at Home Pilot Program! With the Partnering for Health Equity grant, we gave Welcome Home Kits to discharged psychiatric patients and families entering supportive housing programs.

We combined lemongrass and lavender gift sets from The Black Belt Soap Company and our Black Beauty Supply Kit from Hairizon to provide handmade soap, shea butter, and Black haircare supplies. We seek to break the cycle of hospitalization and homelessness by welcoming our neighbors back into the community.

Recently, we delivered a small batch of Welcome Home Kits to Partnership Village, a supportive housing community by Greensboro Urban Ministry. We met with Ms. Gin (left), the Director of Partnership Village, who serves a beautiful community with wrap-around services. This meeting was planned with the help of the Cone Health Foundation and our wonderful contact Yazmin (right), who is the Director of Community Engagement and Impact. Together, we discussed kit feedback and the future of Heal at Home.

We are proud to serve Partnership Village residents. No one should worry about paying for hygiene items as they enter their new home. It is our hope that our Welcome Home Kits heal the body as we work on resources in the future to heal their minds.

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Greensboro, NC

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