Today we lost Don Cornelius. Creator of Soul Train, Cornelius was a trailblazer and a trendsetter. I remember watching the show as a child in the '70's. The music, dancing and styles defined a decade. Cornelius was the epitome of cool, with his baritone voice and laid back style. I once tweeted that I want to be Don Cornelius when I grow up.
The tragedy is that his death was an apparent suicide. The opportunity is that the Internet is humming with tributes, and discussions about depression. As one who has waged my own battle with depression I know what a destructive condition it can be. And I have long believed that there is an epidemic of unacknowledged, undiagnosed, untreated depression in African American men. The probable causes range from current economic conditions to the psychic echoes of slavery.
Whatever the case, this condition has been shrouded in a veil of silence and shame, amplifying its destructive influence. Perhaps the silver lining in the cloud of Cornelius' passing is that we will take the opportunity to get real about conditions like depression, and lift the veil of denial. I realize that my ministry is about more than playing music. Everywhere I have told my story I get brothers who say to me, usually in private, that they have suffered with depression themselves, and it was good to know that they weren't alone. The silence and shame is a form of spiritual bondage. It is a little scary to talk about a condition that is still so misunderstood, but shining the light of truth on my history of depression is part of my healing journey. And hopefully someone else will get a little healing in the process.
The tragedy is that his death was an apparent suicide. The opportunity is that the Internet is humming with tributes, and discussions about depression. As one who has waged my own battle with depression I know what a destructive condition it can be. And I have long believed that there is an epidemic of unacknowledged, undiagnosed, untreated depression in African American men. The probable causes range from current economic conditions to the psychic echoes of slavery.
Whatever the case, this condition has been shrouded in a veil of silence and shame, amplifying its destructive influence. Perhaps the silver lining in the cloud of Cornelius' passing is that we will take the opportunity to get real about conditions like depression, and lift the veil of denial. I realize that my ministry is about more than playing music. Everywhere I have told my story I get brothers who say to me, usually in private, that they have suffered with depression themselves, and it was good to know that they weren't alone. The silence and shame is a form of spiritual bondage. It is a little scary to talk about a condition that is still so misunderstood, but shining the light of truth on my history of depression is part of my healing journey. And hopefully someone else will get a little healing in the process.
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