Dr Tanisha Spratt and Dr Nkasi Stoll are inviting Black British men to participate in a focus group exploring how joy supports health and wellbeing in everyday life.
The discussion forms part of the Black Joy as Anti-Racist Praxis Study, based at King's College London and funded by Wellcome Trust.
Date: 29 July, 2:00–3:30PM
Location: In person, in London
There is a question we rarely ask when a child dies “who is looking after the father?”
When a family experiences the unimaginable loss of a child, our attention naturally turns towards mothers. We ask how they are coping, surround them with practical support and recognise the visible impact of their grief. Fathers, by contrast, often become the people expected to hold everything together. They comfort their partners, make funeral arrangements, return to work and quietly absorb the expectations placed upon them.
What if the greatest threat to men's health isn't heart disease, cancer or diabetes?
What if it's an idea?
There is a quiet shift happening beneath the surface of modern masculinity. It is not loud. It does not trend. But it is measurable, deadly and growing. Men are becoming more isolated, less connected and more likely to die by suicide and the data tells us this is not about weakness, but about systems, culture and silence colliding at the wrong moment.
This is not a story about individual failure. It is a story about patterns.
UK evidence shows that loneliness did not recede after lockdowns ended; it settled. The most recent Community Life Survey and Office for National Statistics data indicate that around 6–7 per cent of adults now feel lonely often or always, with nearly one in four experiencing loneliness at least some of the time.
There comes a moment in a man’s life when noise no longer impresses him and applause no longer distracts him.
A moment when he understands that real power does not come from how loud he speaks, but from how clearly he thinks.
At first glance, the statement “Men carry depression well because they know no one cares unless the money stops” seems like a truth wrapped in hard wisdom.
But when applied to Black men, this narrative does more harm than good. It reinforces an old stereotype. That a Black man’s worth is only measured by his productivity, his ability to provide, his financial utility.
Behind this idea sits centuries of racial, cultural and economic weight that too often leaves Black men trapped in silence.
"The cultural expectation to “be strong” or “man up” leads to delayed help-seeking and underreporting of symptoms, especially around depression, anxiety, or chronic pain."
During Men’s Health Week (9–15 June) this is a powerful reminder to pause, check in and take your well-being seriously, not just your physical health, but your emotional, mental and spiritual health too.
Let’s be real, Black men are least likely to seek help but most at risk.
In the UK, Black men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer and twice as likely to suffer a stroke. High blood pressure runs disproportionately high in BAME communities, often without early warning signs. And while the numbers are alarming, the silence is worse.
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
Proud Sista!
