Breaking the Chains: Depression Is Political, Cultural, and System by Anthony W. Brown

 

"You are not broken. You are responding to a world that told you to disappear."

In a world that prizes silence over truth and perfection over authenticity, many women—and particularly women of color—are quietly battling an epidemic of depression. This isn’t just about sadness. It’s about systemic betrayal. It’s about the weight of centuries of oppression. It’s about lies that have become cultural norms. And it’s time we started telling the truth.

Depression Isn’t Just Emotional—It’s Political

Mainstream media often portrays depression as an individual pathology: something wrong in the brain, a personal weakness, or an isolated crisis. But that narrative ignores the broader truth: for many women, depression is a logical response to a society built on patriarchy, racism, and economic exploitation.

Women are told to:

• Smile through pain.

• Care for others before themselves.

• Perform, produce, and perfect—even if it kills them.

Black women, in particular, carry the compounded weight of gendered and racial trauma. As Dr. Joy DeGruy (2005) explains in her foundational work Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, the emotional wounds of slavery have not disappeared; they’ve evolved into internalized stress, mistrust, and emotional suppression passed down through generations.

“Many women aren’t mentally ill. They’re just tired of pretending to be okay in systems that refuse to see them.”

The Cost of Patriarchy and Cultural Silence

Patriarchy doesn’t just oppress—it isolates. Women raised under its rule are often taught that their worth lies in obedience, silence, and service. Ambition is seen as arrogance. Anger is called hysteria. Grief is ignored.

And when the pain becomes too much to hold, society offers simplistic fixes:

• Smile more.

• Take a yoga class.

• Pray harder.

But real healing doesn’t come from cosmetic comfort. It comes from truth-telling.

According to Tisby (2019), religious institutions have long been complicit in reinforcing patriarchal norms. Women are often expected to submit in silence, even in the face of abuse, inequality, or spiritual trauma. Faith becomes another place where depression grows unchecked.

The Trauma We Inherited: Historical Roots of Mental Distress

Colonialism, slavery, and racism have created conditions of intergenerational trauma. Walter Rodney’s (1972) and Cheikh Anta Diop’s (1987) historical analyses illustrate how Africa was destabilized, impoverished, and exploited for European gain, leaving psychological scars that persist through displacement, poverty, and cultural erasure.

For women of the African diaspora, this history continues to show up in:

• The stereotype of the “strong Black woman,” which leaves no room for rest or vulnerability.

• Disparities in maternal healthcare and access to therapy.

• The pressure to conform to Eurocentric norms in work, beauty, and language.

As Pope (2022) reminds us, whiteness has been normalized in every institution—from healthcare to education—making non-white experiences invisible or pathologized.

So How Do We Heal?

Healing from depression—particularly the kind born from cultural and systemic violence—requires more than medication. It requires a reclamation of truth, identity, and connection.

Here are some ways to begin that journey:

1. Tell the Truth

Authenticity is healing. When we stop pretending, we make room for others to be honest too. This includes rejecting harmful stereotypes and sharing our real stories.

2. Therapy and Mental Health Support

Black therapists, culturally competent counselors, and peer support groups are increasingly accessible. Therapy isn’t a betrayal of faith—it’s a bridge to self-understanding.

3. Spirituality with Integrity

Spirituality has long been a source of strength for Black communities. But not all spiritual spaces are safe. Seek communities that honor your voice, not silence it.

4. Reconnection with Community

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Whether through family, women’s circles, support groups, or artistic collaboration, collective healing is powerful medicine.

5. Joy as Resistance

Joy is not a luxury—it is a declaration of worth. Dancing, resting, celebrating, creating—these are not distractions. They are radical acts of survival.

Recommended Resources

📚 Books

• DeGruy, J. (2005). Post traumatic slave syndrome: America’s legacy of enduring injury and healing. Uptone Press.

• Rodney, W. (1972). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Bogle-L’Ouverture.

• Tisby, J. (2019). The color of compromise. Zondervan.

• Pope, N. M. (2022). Making whiteness visible: The power of conscious racial identity.

• Asante, M. K. (2001). The African American people: A global history. Routledge.

• Diop, C. A. (1987). Precolonial Black Africa. Lawrence Hill Books.

🎧 Podcast Episode

➡️ Speaking the Truth with Anthony Brown – “Breaking the Chains: Depression, Truth, and the Road to Healing”
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream.

📖 Coming Soon…

My new book: Breaking the Chains: Depression Is Political, Cultural, and Systemic — A Journey to Healing from Patriarchy, Lies, and Living Authentically
Stay tuned for the release date and how to preorder.

Final Word: You Are Not Alone

If you’re struggling today, know this: you are not weak. You are not broken. You are surviving a system that was not built for your wholeness.

But that system can be changed. And your healing—your truth—is part of that revolution.

Let’s speak it. Let’s live it. Let’s heal together.

Superman, Gaza, and the Battle for Our Soul: A Tale of Good vs. Evil in Modern Times

 There’s been an uproar online surrounding the new Superman film—some calling it “woke,” others accusing it of being “anti-Israel,” and still more trying to reduce it to political propaganda. But if we pause the noise and really watch the movie—not just with our eyes, but with our conscience—it becomes clear: this isn’t about left or right, Zionism or anti-Zionism. It’s about right and wrong. It's about humanity. It’s about the age-old fight between good and evil.

And Superman? He's always been on the side of good.

🦸‍♂️ Superman: The Closest Superhero We Have to Jesus

Let’s start here. In the superhero universe, Superman is the only major figure who died and came back to life to save humanity. His origin story has long been a metaphor for messianic hope—a being from another world who comes to Earth, misunderstood and feared, but ultimately reveals a purpose far greater than human bias or borders.

That’s why the backlash is both revealing and ridiculous. Those complaining about a "woke Superman" are upset because he dares to stand against militarism, colonialism, and the mass murder of civilians. But how is that “woke”? That’s Superman 101.

When people complain that Superman is “too political,” what they’re really saying is: We preferred when our heroes didn’t make us question our comfort. But if Superman doesn’t challenge the system—who will?

🌍 A Mirror of Today’s World: Gaza, Metropolis, and Moral Failure

In the film, two fictional nations—one a well-armed aggressor, the other a battered and oppressed homeland—become pawns in a brutal invasion. The allegory to Israel and Gaza is unmistakable, even if the writers claim otherwise. But art is like that. As with a painting, an artist may create with one meaning in mind, but the public will see in it what the times reveal.

And these times reveal a painful truth: no matter how justified a nation may feel in defending itself, no one has the right to murder innocent civilians, women, or children. That’s not just immoral. It’s an international war crime.

Superman sides with the people. Not governments. Not weapons suppliers. Not global orders built on fear and control. He sides with life. And love. And justice.

The Superman-as-alien metaphor is another strong one in the movie. He’s repeatedly been told that he doesn’t belong—despite his love, loyalty, and care for humanity. A sobering parallel to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. who came as children, speak English, pay taxes, have American jobs and see no other home but America.

But they are demonized, dehumanized, and deported en masse.

How does an immigrant nation betray them?

How does a nation that proudly proclaims “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” on the Statue of Liberty separate children from their parents, and treat human beings like policy calculations?

Superman calls this out. He shows us that being human has nothing to do with passports—it has everything to do with how you treat other human beings.

Superman flies away. Justice prevails

It’s the beauty of this movie that—whether the director set out to make a political statement or not—it did. All powerful art is political in that way. It forces you to question, to reflect, to think.

The genius of this movie is that it makes us realize:

• Immigrants are humans too. Dehumanizing them is wrong.

• Children are innocent. Bombing schools and killing civilians is wrong.

• War makes the world more dangerous. Funding conflict abroad instead of diplomacy is wrong.

• The planet is alive. Ignoring its pain, and making it bleed more, is wrong.

• Faith is for love, not murder. Weaponizing religion to justify violence is wrong.

And most importantly—the movie tells us that good will always prevail. Evil will win sometimes, but not always. Hope will be hard to see, but it will return. Superman will always return. Justice will always rise.

One more final scene for thought

In a world where truth is weaponized and compassion is ridiculed, it takes courage to be good. To love is to be brave. This film is a call for that bravery.

So, if it’s “woke”—fine. Un-belt the armor, and put aside political points. Rewatch the movie, and don’t do it through the conservative/liberal, Israeli/Palestinian, black/white, or brown lens. Superman doesn’t care about those labels.

What he does care about is that you are human. And that, my friends, should be enough.

🖋️ Written by Anthony W. Brown
Author, Educator, and Founder of King Leo Browne Publishing House
📍 Follow on IG & Facebook: @kingleobrownepublishing
🌐 www.kingleobrowne.com

The Big Beautiful Mess: American Politics at the Crossroads

 

The Republican Party is touting its “Big Beautiful Bill,” an omnibus hodgepodge of tax giveaways, deregulation, and new civil liberties restrictions that has left much of the country reeling. As Republicans congratulate themselves on “saving America,” most working people are left wondering exactly who got saved—certainly not them.

Skyrocketing housing costs, an all-out assault on voting rights, attacks on immigrant rights and protections for LGBTQ people. If you thought the Republican agenda was small government, think again: it’s about protecting billionaire’s wealth, corporate power, and a cultural minority that wants to control everyone else’s bodies and beliefs. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has been at sixes and sevens, letting the Republicans bludgeon them into near-oblivion.

In fact, Democrats have seemed downright comfortable being the lesser evil, tweaking Republican policy here and there, but refusing to articulate a clear vision or set of priorities for working families, young people, or people of color. The result has been a vacuum, and history is opening the door for something new.

In New York, voters are seriously considering voting for a Democratic Socialist candidate for mayor, something unthinkable 10 years ago. Why the sudden the change? Look no further than a year and a half of ineffectual governing from Democrats and city officials who show contempt for working people, no matter how loudly they shout about “resistance.” The grassroots want more than empty words and performative posturing. They want elected officials who will take on corporate landlords, fight to protect unions, and invest in our communities rather than in police militarization.

Even the super-rich Elon Musk—hardly a working-class hero—has weighed in that “now might be a good time for a new party to come together.” Elton is an asshole. He’s a grifter. He fires and harasses his workers. But when he makes a point, it’s worth considering: American politics is broken. The two-party system is breaking up at the seams.

On the one hand, you have the openly authoritarian, openly corrupt party that shouts down dissent and worships at the altar of greed. On the other hand, you have a party afraid to stand up to the rich and powerful for fear of losing their donations.

So if we’re looking for a real alternative, where do we go?

Look no further than the Green Party.

Activists and politicians are starting to take Greens seriously.

For years, the Green Party has been dismissed as a spoiler or a boutique protest vote. It’s an impulse not helped by third party candidates who think an American audience is going to lap up Lenin. But as the two-party system melts down around us, Green Party values are starting to sound like exactly what the country needs:

✅ A living wage and economic policies that support working families.

✅ Real action on climate change—especially important to frontline communities of color who face the worst pollution.

✅ An end to endless war and militarized policing.

✅ Universal healthcare.

✅ Participatory democracy.

These are not fringe demands; majorities of Americans across racial and class lines support these policies.

Look at the Green Party platform through the lens of communities of color and you’ll see why more and more people are taking Greens seriously. We see the commitment to environmental justice and getting lead out of our homes and schools as a lifeline when Black and Latino neighborhoods are targeted for hazardous waste dumps, urban heat islands, and toxic air. We hear the Green Party’s calls for restorative justice and demilitarized policing as an echo of the Movement for Black Lives. We want fully funded public schools and accessible healthcare, and the Green Party delivers.

We are on the precipice of building the political power to back up these demands. When the Democratic Party was founded, people of color in the South were viciously oppressed, marginalized, and denied the vote. That is how Democrats became Democrats. Today, communities of color are poised to play a decisive role in re-shaping American politics. Our organizing over decades built the vote and power necessary to end the two-party duopoly. We can hold Democrats’ feet to the fire and push them to fight—or we can walk away and say: you had our demands, now you can take care of your white donors.

If Democrats can’t—or won’t—stand up to the corporate right-wing juggernaut, others will. It could be a Green coalition. It could be a Democratic Socialist wave. It could be something new entirely. We’re at a tipping point.

The choice is ours: cling to the same tired two-party duopoly or build something better.

Which side of history do we want to be on?

Sources:

🧾 1. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” and GOP chaos

• One Big Beautiful Bill Act dramatically cuts Medicaid/Medicare, adds ~ $2.8 trillion to the federal deficit by 2034, and strips food stamp benefits—pitched as a huge transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich wsj.com+9en.wikipedia.org+9kiplinger.com+9.
  
  

• Critics warn it “radically reshapes” key support systems, undermining healthcare, education, and protections for working families protectborrowers.org.
  
  

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🧑‍💼 2. Elon Musk’s warning—and the birthing of a new party

• Musk has turned sharply against the bill, labeling it a budget “abomination,” and publicly floated launching an “America Party” to break the two-party stranglehold kiplinger.com+15thedailybeast.com+15nypost.com+15.
  
  

• He’s proposed targeting just a handful of Senate and House seats to create a decisive bloc—a “laser-focus” takeover approach axios.com+3aljazeera.com+3nypost.com+3.
  
  

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 3. Democratic inaction & socialism’s rise

• With Democrats offering only cautious tweaks to GOP policies, many progressives feel the party has abandoned bold, structural change.
  
  

• In New York City, a Democratic Socialist mayoral candidate is gaining serious traction—signaling a broader appetite for left-progressive alternatives.
  
  

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🌿 4. Why the Green Party makes sense now

• Environmental & economic justice: Green platforms focus on living wages, universal healthcare, and climate policies that directly target pollution hotspots—issues deeply affecting Black and Brown communities.
  
  

• Participatory democracy & policing reform: The Greens support restorative justice, demilitarization of police, and community control—echoing core demands of racial justice movements.
  
  

• Values alignment: Environmental justice, healthcare access, and economic equity resonate across communities of color—a better cultural and political fit than corporate-aligned centrism.
  
  

While mainstream discourse lingers on partisan bickering, the Green Party offers coherent solutions that align with frontline experiences, especially in communities balancing environmental and economic pressures. As both GOP and establishment Dems falter, the Greens may emerge not as spoilers—but as builders of a new political home for America’s working and progressive majority.

 Further Reading & Citations

• On Musk’s party plans:
  
  

• Daily Beast: Musk considers “America Party” and criticizes “Big Beautiful Bill” cbpp.org+10pbs.org+10protectborrowers.org+10people.comaxios.com+15thedailybeast.com+15nypost.com+15
  
  

• Time: Musk vows to primary GOP members backing the bill, teases new party indiatoday.in+3time.com+3washingtonpost.com+3
  
  

• PBS NewsHour: Musk warns the bill could be “political suicide” for Republicans pbs.org
  
  

• On bill’s budget/health impacts:
  
  

• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reports tax package favors wealthy over working families nea.orgcbpp.org
  
  

• Green Party racial justice alignment:
  
  

The Church, Two Steps Forward One Step Back.

     Back in the year 1615, Galileo who was an Italian, physicist, mathematician, engineer, astronomer and philosopher made it know that the world revolved around the sun and the earth was indeed round and not flat. The church felt that this was contrary to scripture and charged him with Heresy. He had to attend a trial. He recanted his discovery for fear of death and he was put on house arrest for the rest of his life until he died. Years later it was discovered that Galileo was ahead of his times and thus correct. The church and science was not in congruence and the church just as it is today was slow to change. (Wilkepedia 2015)

    I thought about this and had some hope of change when it was published on October 13, that the Catholic Church was meeting and was opening dialogues to shift their tone on gays,divorced and single people and to be more welcoming of this group of people. Pope Francis vision was to open the doors of the church and allow everyone to feel welcome. (Povoledo, E Goodsteinoct, L 2014)  This would have been a major change to modernize the church and would have promoted evangelism internally and externally in the Catholic Faith. The Church is a place of love. If God is present love is present because it is the church teachings that God is love who loves all of his creation especially mankind who is made in his own image and likeness.

    I thought that Pope Francis was well before his time but, however admired his courage to put on a committee of bishops to view this. Today those who identify as being homosexual and those that are divorced and remarried are viewed as living in sin and are refused communion. In the United States, however many people attend parishes who have the spirit of don’t ask don’t tell.  The question is, is the church ready for such a radical change? The answer to this committee was a resounding no.

   On October 19 Catholic Bishops vetoed this document. It did however accept a revised document that makes reference to welcoming homosexual person  by  adding “men and women of homosexual tendencies must be welcomed with respect and sensitivity.” The idea of saying anything positive about same sex union was scrapped as well as allowing those who have married and remarried outside the church access to communion. Pope Francis wanted to extend communion to more people who are not allowed at this time. (Davies, L 10/19/2014)

    In these modern times, there have been many studies that have proved over and over that sexual orientation is linked to genetics and other biological factors. The church has agreed that there is little difference in revelation of God and science. In fact the church no longer argues about evolution in its teachings. It feels that it is indeed creation and God evolving it’s creation over a period of time. God is at work. The Church also teaches that God reveals himself little by little over time and we as believers gain more knowledge of him as he reveals himself to us. The question is, is God revealing himself to us today? We live in modern times where over half of marriages fail. There are many societal ills that contributes to this. We also live in a time where fewer people are getting married and fewer people are having children as well. The look of the modern family today has changed. We have blended families and there are many other examples of non –traditional families. How do we minister to these people?

    As the article indicated, there are many people that have gifts to offer that the church doesn’t welcome with open arms, be it lesbian, gay divorced remarried or single people, these people are creatures that are made in the image and likeness of God that he truly loves just as much as he loves all of his creation. So if God is love, shouldn’t we love one another as he love us? The fact remains that when Jesus was on Earth and developed his ministry, he called people that were imperfect to love and serve him.

   Maybe the Church is being called to call others that are viewed as being imperfect to come in the church to love and serve the Lord.  Is the church still behind times? Is the church once again having a Galileo moment and not allowing itself to modernize and thus reach out to all of the worlds peoples?

Reference:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/18/catholic-bishops-backtrack-on-gay-welcome Lizzy Davies in Rome OCTOBER 19 ,2014

www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/world/europe/vatican-signals-more-tolerance-toward-gays-and-remarriage.html  (By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO and LAURIE GOODSTEINOCT. 13, 2014)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei extracted 11/11/14