The Art of Healing: How I Use Poetry to Heal and Empower Young Minds!

Photo: Trey Baker/X Mental health challenges impact everyone, but young Black men face unique struggles. For many, the pressure to conform to limited stereotypes, coupled with a lack of role models who reflect their experiences, can lead to feelings of isolation and self-doubt. In fact, Black adults are 20 percent more likely to report serious psychological distress than their white counterparts. Early Struggles and Identity Formation Trey Baker’s mental health journey began during his formative middle and high school years. Growing up, he struggled with identity and belonging due to a lack of Black representation in education. “I was trying to understand the fullness of my Blackness. I didn’t always have teachers that looked like me. In fact, my first Black teacher didn’t come until I went to college,” Baker tells BlackDoctor.org. “I struggled with understanding the full history of where I come from, who I come from, and realizing that this was not always taught in depth.” Eventually, Baker began to question who he was and how he saw himself.  Like many young Black men, Baker was told that basketball was his “way out.” “My father played, and I love the game to this day, but I felt boxed...