Abstract
Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men: Hope to Keep Going, written by Nicholas Grier, focuses on the experiences of five Black men between the ages of 25 and 40, who live in Chicago, Illinois. The experiences of these five men were gathered via individual interviews and focus groups and analyzed using a constructivist ground theory approach. Taking the stories and experiences of these five men, Grier writes a powerful book on how to care for and counsel Black men in a way that facilitates healing, liberation, and flourishing.
In attempt to redress the racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia that continue to have a deleterious effect on the lives of Black men, Grier created the Hope to Keep Going framework. The crux of Grier’s work is on the modicum of flourishing occurring in the lives of Black men. In the introduction, the discourse on human survival and flourishing sets the foundation for the Hope to Keep Going framework. In his analysis, Grier outlines how survival and resistance have been important in the lives of Blacks, and how racism and White racial ideology have coalesced to obstruct Black men from flourishing. While Grier acknowledges in the Hope to Keep Going framework that one must survive before they flourish, he highlights how the Black experience has been rooted in the tireless fight of survival and resistance. Grier writes, “Black people deserve to live without being relegated to an existence tied solely to suffering and resistance” (p. 5). Grier ultimately arrives at the conclusion that society, itself, steeped in racism and White racial ideology, and its disregard for the lives of Black men is impeding Black men from flourishing. Grier’s aim in designing the Hope to Keep Going framework is to provide care and counseling to Black men in a way that facilitates liberation, healing, and, most important, flourishing. Through the Hope to Keep going framework, Grier focuses on three domains, spirituality, community, and the intrapsychic experiences of Black men.
In discussing the three domains of the Hope to Keep Going framework, Grier truly embodies the spirit of the African proverb Ubuntu—I am because we are. Throughout, Grier is clear that he is charging all members of the “human village” to partake in the necessary work of caring for Black men. His trenchant analysis of the way American society interacts with and relates to Black men, using the psychodynamic theory, illuminates the importance of working in unity to change the status quo. It is impossible to read Grier’s book and not notice how deeply rooted his framework is in human connection. Grier is calling for all members of society to engage in an exercise of listening and introspection. While informative, Grier is also calling to abandon practices that do not provide a pathway for Black men to heal, experience liberation, and flourish.
Grier uses the interviews to provide a substantive quality to the Hope to Keep Going framework. Throughout the book, Grier is intentional about basing his framework on the intrapsychic experiences of the interviewees. Grier has an eloquent writing style and the way he represents the thoughts of these five men allows the reader to identify with their experiences. Grier’s work is a direct assault on the narrative that Black men are wary to discuss their feelings, thoughts, and lived experiences. One would be remiss in finishing this book without realizing that when Black men are afforded a safe space to discuss their intrapsychic experiences, they do so willingly. Grier’s message to those trusted in caring for Black men is clear, “. . . spiritual care, counseling, and community leadership most effectively nurture survival, liberation, healing, and flourishing in Black men and society when a comprehensive approach to care is embodied that takes seriously the experiences of Black men as a starting point” (p. 5). Grier directly challenges the practice of focusing on the “here and now” and separating Black men from their experiences with oppression that have shaped their identity.
In creating the Hope to Keep Going Framework, Grier has designed a way of caring for Black men that keeps their blackness central to their care. What Grier captures through the interviews is the striking similarities in which the five men experience society, and the differences in which they respond to their experience. Grier delivers a timely and transformative framework that blends spirituality and mental health care. Grier’s work also serves as a reminder that new and transformative ways are needed to work with people of the diaspora, especially Black men. What is most impressive about Grier’s work is that the application of his Hope to Keep Going framework is practical and achievable.
Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men: Hope to Keep Going provides a framework to care for and counsel Black men in a way that is in direct alignment with Black liberation psychology. Throughout the book, Grier masterfully addresses the alienating social environment Black men encounter daily and its effect on their intrapsychic experiences. Traditional psychological approaches that are ahistorical in nature are limited in the facilitation of healing and liberation. Black liberation psychology rejects working with oppressed people without placing them in the correct sociopolitical, historical, and cultural context (Nobles, 2006). Furthermore, Black liberation psychology recognizes spirituality as an important factor in the healing and liberation of marginalized people (Jones, 2003). Care for the Mental and Spiritual Health of Black Men: Hope to Keep Going is a crucial step in the direction of raising awareness in the Black community that mental health is as equally important as spiritual health. This book is a must read for clergymen, community leaders, and mental health providers who are committed to maintaining the survival and facilitating the flourishing of Black men. As Black psychologists we must remain committed to liberating marginalized people and continually find ways to reinvigorate the human spirit.
