This story is a collaboration between MindSite News, Capital B, The 19th, and The Nation, and was edited by MindSite News. Photos by Kuwilileni Hauwanga On April Fool’s Day last year, Philadelphia federal worker Darlene Tart-Scott arrived at work only to find out she had been laid off. Minutes later, she was on a train […]
Mental Health
Posted inFederal Overhaul, Mental Health, Politics & Policy, The Workplace
A ‘Gut Punch’: Black Women Fired by DOGE Work to Overcome Shame and Self-Blame
This story is a collaboration between MindSite News, Capital B, The 19th, and The Nation, and was edited by MindSite News. Photographs by Kuwilileni Hauwanga When Sharon Davis opened her email at 5 a.m. on April 1, 2025, she learned that she had been fired from the Food and Drug Administration after 24 years of […]
Posted inFederal Overhaul, Mental Health, Politics & Policy, The Workplace
The Unseen Toll: Depression, Anxiety Plague Black Women a Year After DOGE Layoffs
Part 1 of a three-part series, FIRED: The DOGE Layoffs Hit Black Women Hard, a collaboration between MindSite News, Capital B, The 19th, and The Nation, edited by MindSite News. Photographs by Kuwilileni Hauwanga Darnese Foster remembers the day she learned she was fired from her federal government job. “I was off that Friday, which […]
Posted inHBCUs, Higher Education, Mental Health
HBCUs Are Building New Support Systems for Black Male Students
This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. COLUMBIA, South Carolina – Before heading to Howard University in fall 2021, Christopher Davis was determined to be the first Black man in his family to graduate from college. Not even a pandemic or financial insecurity could keep him from his […]
Posted inCulture, LGBTQ, Mental Health
As Lil Nas X Spotlights Black Queer Men’s Mental Health, Advocates Push for Healing
This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors. ARLINGTON, Virginia — Raised in a religious community […]
Posted inMental Health
Young Black Men Are Now Dying by Suicide at a Historic Rate
This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises involving Black men and boys. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors 24/7. […]
Posted inGun Violence, Mental Health
Shreveport Mass Shooting of 8 Children Exposes Toll of Domestic Violence
Just over a day after a mass shooting left eight children dead in Shreveport, Louisiana, community members are struggling to process the tragedy. On Sunday morning, Shamar Elkins, a 31-year-old father and military veteran, shot and killed the children and wounded two women, including his wife, in a domestic violence rampage that stretched across multiple […]
Posted inMental Health
Kyren Lacy’s Death at 24 Sheds Light on Black Male Suicide Crisis
Kyren Lacy was a 6-foot-2 Southeastern Conference football player with a broad, if often absent, smile, a love for Buffalo Wild Wings and lemonade. Some sports analysts even predicted that the Louisiana State University senior might go to a National Football League team as early as the second round of the draft this year. Instead, […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Mental Health, Partner Content
What Was Lost: Stories From Hurricane Katrina
As part of Capital B’s coverage of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina later this month, we’re proud to present “What Was Lost,” a series of reflections by Louisianans who survived the storm, produced by our collaborators at Verite News. NEW ORLEANS — Growing up, holidays were a lot of fun because we had really huge family […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Mental Health, Partner Content
What Was Lost: Stories From Hurricane Katrina
As part of Capital B’s coverage of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina later this month, we’re proud to present “What Was Lost,” a series of reflections by Louisianans who survived the storm, produced by our collaborators at Verite News. New Orleans — Ten years before Katrina, my wife, Phyllis, and I were house shopping. […]
