The mental health of college students is a topic that deserves more widespread attention. Dealing with constant pressures like feeling obligated to have your entire life already figured out or juggling the demands of school and work has caused countless collegiate students to be anxiety-ridden and depressed.
T-Kea Blackman knows on a personal level what it’s like to experience these feelings as she battled thoughts of suicide for ten years. Blackman has now drawn upon her struggles to become a light in other people’s lives and bring awareness to mental health. Being a voice in the mental health community has also served as a form of therapy for Blackman. She says, “It’s very liberating to tell my story. For a long time, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I thought it was a character flaw. I thought there was no way that I can have a mental illness or generalized anxiety disorder when I have two degrees from two amazing institutions. I guess I had a stigma about what mental illness is. I had limited it to the person walking down the street talking to themselves when it’s also everyday high-level functioning people.”
As a mental health advocate, Blackman has aligned herself with initiatives and projects whose main objective is to address mental illnesses among communities of color, decrease the stigmas surrounding illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and educate people on treatment options.
One of T-Kea’s most recent launches is her “Fireflies Unite” podcast, which officially debuted on January 1st. The weekly show offers in-depth conversation from the unique perspective of people thriving with mental illnesses to help normalize the conversation.
Her plans for the podcast? Blackman expressed, “I plan to touch on a lot of topics. I’m going to talk about bipolar disorder, schizophrenia. I’ll also be talking about things that are very controversial such as the importance of bridging faith-based communities with mental health. I have an episode coming out called “You Need To Pray Those Demons Away,” and I’m also talking about the LGBTQ community and communities of color.”
You can listen to Blackman’s podcast “Fireflies Unite” here. You can also stay connected with T-Kea Blackman by visiting her website firefliesunite.com or following her on social media at @firefliespod.