OUR MISSION

In America, Black men grow up learning that strength means hiding our pain and swallowing our anger. We privilege independence over community, strength over softness, and assertiveness over vulnerability. We learn that Black male bodies are perceived as threats, and grapple with pressures to succeed anyway: to do right by our families and communities, and to break free from dehumanizing stereotypes that exist because of systemic racism and institutionalized inequality. All of this pressure costs us—threatening our bodies, minds, and spirits at home, at work, and in our communities.

As a result, the conversation about mental health and wellbeing has reached a breaking point for Black boys and men. Our mission is to reverse the downward trend toward depression and suicide and to move instead toward wholeness, joy, shared vulnerability and collective power. The Invisible Ache is about pain, but it is also about resistance and resilience. When we step into our full humanity and make space for softness to exist alongside strength, we reclaim access to something we have long been denied: our freedom.