Q: How do you obtain self love?

A 20 year old black male says he obtains self-love through self-medication. He often finds peace in euphoric experiences. Whether it’s music or drugs it makes him feel ‘alive’. I asked the same question to an 18 year old black female and she said “self-love is to be in your own body and doing what you love.” I found it interesting that their answers held something in common. It was spending time and accepting the person you are. Even if what you love can possibly kill you they don’t seem to mind. As long as it makes them happy. 

Q:Do you feel the need to create a separate persona for yourself in order to express who you are? 

“You don’t need social media to change who you are,” says a young man from Washington DC. He explained to me that daytime is his escape from reality. Often indulging in the attention from male strangers he’s able to hide that side of himself during school hours. Yet, under the starry skies he takes trips to New York and often fills his voids with older men. He tells me at the end of this discussion that people hide who they really are to find acceptance in society. 

Q: Does race/gender affect your health? Mental, physical, spiritual. 

“As a young black male my anxiety increases as I pass by the men in blue.” He told me his answer was “cliche”. In which I found really upsetting. Minority men are purposely being targeted and killed by white authoritative figures. We have an abnormally high incarceration rate in the United States. African Americans make up 13% of the US population. As 40% of that 13 is incarcerated. So his answer was not cliche we are living in a current race war.

Q: Do you ignore your body’s reactions?

A current nicotine addict tells me, “ I can do it If I put enough will power into it.” But she’s scared of knowing the hidden truth about her body so she often ignores her shortness of breath or constant hacking.