Milwaukee social group works to help men of color with mental wellness

Milwaukee social group works to help men of color with mental health

Community group Social X hosted a IMMENSE Wellness event on Saturday morning, April 26 at ThriveOn King to highlight mental health among men of color.

MILWAUKEE - Men aren’t always encouraged to be vulnerable, but a group in Milwaukee is working to change that.

What we know:

Mental health is a top priority and men at ThriveOn King opened up and shared recent successes and stressors in their lives.

"Not only is it a safe space, but it’s curated in a way that it's highly professional," said Shannon Reed. "People are comfortable, their shoulders are relaxed and they are able to tell you and say, this is how I’m feeling, I’m not necessarily doing the best. And I’m looking for a resource."

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This exercise to stimulate the mind was part of several at the IMMENSE Wellness event on Saturday morning, April 26. Community Group Social X says it put on the event to help men of color strengthen their mindset, body, finances and more.

Local perspective:

In his session titled Digging for Joy, Professional Counselor Cedric Dale Hoard reminds these men to speak positively to themselves.

"Sadness is not a bad thing. Sadness is not clinical depression," he said. "I start to feel sad, but once I start saying I’m not a man. I’m a failure. I’m not good enough. That is when we get ourselves in trouble."

With the help of speakers, these men are reminded to look out for themselves and each other. 

"A lot of men of color are programmed to internalize," said Ryan Roberts. "We can see all the data that shows that when we internalize and bottle up things, it never serves us well."

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Kyle Hayden works at MATC and brought students. 

"The knowledge, the information, the wisdom that was shared," Hayden said.  "My hope is that they see and identify some things within themselves that they are able to recognize as worthy and valuable."

Social X tries to hold an IMMENSE Wellness event several times a year.