Episode 349
Black Men Need a Safe Space, Too
w/Martin Henson
The purpose of CelesteTheTherapist is to help shift the way you think. Many times, we get stuck in a negative cycle and struggle with getting out. Celeste will interview guests from different backgrounds who empower people in different capacities.
In this episode, Celeste and Martin Henson, Executive Director of BMEN, introduce the safe spaces black men call for. Experience how a community can raise a culture, and how people perceive black men. This episode talks about black issues on men, young black boys and their parents, and how all of these are discussed less often. The conversation on black men is hard, but it starts here.
Learn more about Martin: community organizer and activist, speaker, and executive director of BMEN, an inclusive organization bringing Black Men together to talk about and work through issues that often aren’t discussed openly
Martin has spent the last ten years advocating for Black lives, addressing the systemic issues that affect Black and marginalized groups through both conventional and unconventional avenues. Using his background as a mental health counselor, Martin is able to add nuance and clarity to the way we support the livelihood of Black people. Through seminars, community events, rallies, and curriculum development, Martin has worked with thousands of people around prison abolition, the fight against white supremacy, and lifting up Black communities. Martin has worked extensively with the Black Lives Matter Boston chapter, and is also a restorative justice coach working with various institutions in and around Boston.
In 2017, a viral tweet pushed the #MeToo movement to the foreground of our national discourse. While men are often positioned as perpetrators, it also became clear that Black men who are victims of sexual assault had very few places to turn for support. Through exploring the way that Black men experienced and navigated harm, Martin found that there were many layers to the experience of Black men that were not being addressed. The Black Men Engagement Network (BMEN) started with the idea of exploring healthy ways to respond to sexual harm, and it expanded to encompass the unique and Black male experience.
BMEN brings together Black men from all backgrounds to discuss often taboo topics in the Black community, including but not limited to: mental health, healthy masculinity, identity, sexuality, homophobia and sexual assault. For the past few years, BMEN has partnered with theTransgender Emergency Fund to connect Black men and Transgender women of color. By opening a dialogue, each individual can walk away with a deeper awareness of the issues preventing open coexistence and a new understanding of the experience of each other’s community.
Click here to watch this episode live on youtube
Where to Find Martin:
website: martinhspeaks.com
Instagram:
Twiitter:
Learn more about Celeste: www.CelesteTheTherapist.com
Resources Mentioned
Visit our Amazon Store for all the books mentioned on the podcast! www.amazon.com/shop/celestethetherapist
Stay Connected
Is there a topic you'd like covered, have questions or would like to discuss podcast sponsorship, Submit your request here: celestethetherapist.com/stay-connected
Feeling stuck in life? Take the info from the podcast to the next level by joining my master class to start your healing process today. Go to www.CelesteT
Love what Celeste is doing and want to support the show? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CelesteTheTherapist
Click here to leave me a rating for my podcast on apple podcast:
The hashtag for the podcast is #ShiftingTheWayYouThink
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Twitter: @CelesteTheTherapist
Instagram: @CelesteTheTherapist
Facebook: @CelesteViciereLMHC
Youtube: @CelesteTheTherapist