It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Many people are experiencing a heightened sense of hurt, stress and anxiety in light of an intensity of events, protests, and discussions after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. However, personal mental health and wellness is not being adequately addressed or acknowledged for those experiencing heavy emotional reactions to current affairs.

Brittany Kennedy, Executive Director of Artest University (the nonprofit founded by Metta World Peace), notes that this discussion is not happening within the Black community. This virtual conversation program seeks to draw attention to this reality and provide a safe space for the community to discuss the common mental and emotional reactions people are having in response to current affairs.

The conversation event will also include a special talk by Lieutenant Robbie Williams, an African-American police officer who recently was featured in an article in People magazine about how he feels “too Black to be blue” and “too blue to be Black”.

Lieutenant Robbie Williams brings a unique perspective to the conversation as a trained mental health counselor with a Master’s degree in counseling, and will share his personal experiences related to processing current affairs, and provide perspective, to facilitate an open dialogue with conversation participants.

These conversation events are open to the public.