"I’m Tamirah, a young black woman who wants to actively improve the lives of black people and truly make a positive impact in this world. I’ve recently made this film because I wanted to create something for black people that I didn’t have as a child. The representation that I was lacking but desperately needed. A safe space of sorts almost. I want black youth to know that what they’re feeling is valid and normal."
The film is here to demonstrate how necessary it is for black children and young people to voice how they’re feeling mentally, and to normalise the conversation of talking about our mental health as a community. Things like this are needed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. The more frequent the discussions become, the more black youth won’t be shamed or feel shame for disclosing that they aren’t well mentally.
‘Being Black and Being Me’ details the struggles black children and young people go through and their shared collective experiences of being black. The trials and the tribulations but also the positives that make us proud of our heritage and race. The positive contributions often aren’t spoken about within society and our voices are often muffled or silenced completely. In the wake of 2020 and the police disproportionately targeting black people, and the recognition of the overt and covert racism in America but also world-wide; I just knew I had to do more and use my voice for good and take the opportunities when they came. Mental health within the black community is often forgotten or considered an afterthought.