Why Brain Awareness is a Radical Act for men of color

For Latino and Black men, the brain is often a fortress. Being taught to develop a “cool pose” from a young age, many boys of color have a “protective layering” and stoicism designed to navigate a world that perceives them as threats (Majors & Billson, 1992) 

This armor can serve its purpose in public safety, however it creates a physiological “weathering” effect that keeps the body in a state of high alert. Eventually making it believe and accept it as a baseline for operations (Geronimus, 2023) 

Black boy Healing Project is using this Brain Awareness Week to look at how we move beyond survival and talk about the right to safe in one's own skin. 

The body is the first responder: 

Societal pressure and systemic racism act as chronic stressors, which “re-tune” the nervous system. Resmaa Menakem (2017) explains that trauma is not just an emotional memory but it’s a physical response that stores it in our muscles. 

The right to soften: Reclaiming somatic safety: 

“Brain health” is often discussed in clinical or abstract terms. However, for men of color, “brain health” is a radical act of somatic sovereignty. The fundamental right to feel safe both in the world at large and within your own skin. When the brain is constantly scanning for threats, be it societal expectations, systemic injustice, the pressure to provide or all the above, the brain loses its ability to think playfully and with curiosity. 

The goal for “brain health” is to shift it from a state of surviving to a state of sensing. Being stuck in survival mode, movements become more rigid and breathing becomes shallow. Locking the body in a look of our own architecture. Reclaiming the mind-body connection means learning ways to tell the nervous system that its okay to calm down. This is not about being “weak” or “strong”, it's about optimizing your mind so that it can innovate and create, rather than just defend. 

Advice for everyday: 

1. Check in: throughout the day, ask yourself “Am I holding my breath?” “Am I tensing my shoulders” “Am I locking my jaw?” simply noticing the armor is the first step into loosening it

2. Acknowledge the scan: When entering a new space and your feel the “fortress” going up, acknowledge it and say to yourself “I see you trying to protect me. Thank you, but I am in control here” 

3. The Gravity drop: When in high-stress environments, we often can unconsciously pull our weight up as if we are getting ready to flee. Practice letting your weight drop fully to your heels. Feel the earth supporting your weight. It’s a physical memo to the brain that you don’t need to carry the weight of the world in this moment. 

References & Further Reading

• Geronimus, A. T. (2023). Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society. Little, Brown Spark.

• Majors, R., & Billson, J. M. (1992). Cool Pose: The Dilemmas of Black Manhood in America. Lexington Books.

• Menakem, R. (2017). My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. Central Recovery Press.

DeGruy, J. (2005). Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. Joy DeGruy Publications.