On Tuesday, Kid Cudi revealed that he would be seeking help for his anxiety and depression, and his admission has sparked a national conversation on mental health, especially for black men, inspiring the hashtag as black men ask each other #YouGoodMan?
“My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it,” Kid Cudi wrote on Facebook in speaking out about his struggles with his mental health. “I cant make new friends because of it. I [don’t] trust anyone because of it and [I’m] tired of being held back in my life. I deserve to have peace. I deserve to be happy and smiling.”
Twitter users @DaynaLNuckolls and @TheCosby then took to the social media site to suggest that there should be a hashtag for black men to use so that they can have a safe space to talk about mental health, and they put forward #YouGoodMan, a hashtag designed to allow men to speak about their issues and check on each other.
The hashtag took off and did what it set out to do: providing a space for people to talk about mental health issues that are often overlooked due to stigma.
#YouGoodMan is for Black Men to confess, ask for help, vent, or get pointed in the direction of mental health professionals. @TheCosby
— Dayna Lynn Nuckolls (@DaynaLNuckolls) October 5, 2016
#YouGoodMan is a permission slip for vulnerability in a world that hides depression under toxic expressions of masculinity. @TheCosby
— Dayna Lynn Nuckolls (@DaynaLNuckolls) October 5, 2016