Student group unmasks mental health issues

African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar in 1895 wrote “We Wear the Mask,” a poem about how Black suffering is often hidden to conform to society.

“We wear the mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,” Dunbar wrote.

More than a century later, a Carolina student organization uses the title of Dunbar’s poem as its name and its theme as their focus.

“Our goal is to destigmatize mental health because in the African American community, we tend to just not talk about things that we’re struggling with, and people have to navigate mental health issues alone,” said Nyjah King, co-president of We Wear the Mask and a senior studying psychology and human development and family sciences.

Learn more from King about We Wear the Mask and its work around campus.

How does the club’s name tie in with the lived experiences of Black students?

It’s about the mask and disguises that we wear, especially as students of color. The name is about how there are a lot of fake smiles — a lot of labels that you have to put on and roles you have to play — to exist in predominantly white spaces. We’re always having to watch our language and how we navigate certain spaces. But We Wear the Mask is an organization where you don’t have to do that, where you can exist as your whole self.

What events and activities has the group sponsored this school year?

On World Mental Health Day, we made goodie bags with mental health stickers and ribbons and handed that out to people in the Pit. We partnered with the University’s Executive Branch to do Doses of Positivity, where we hand out encouragement in the Pit on a monthly basis. We have general body meetings, and our meetings are usually set up with discussion questions and a lesson, and we bond through craft or an activity.

We also hosted a mental health panel in November last semester. We got Black psychologists and people from other fields of mental health to come speak at the Stone Center. It was really cool to host that and have people come up and say, “Wow, this organization is needed. I’m glad it exists.”

In the future, we’re going to have things like a wellness picnic and mental health training. We also have open executive board positions for the spring.

What are the most prevalent mental health topics impacting Black students?

There’s this heavy imposter syndrome in general at UNC — but especially being a Black student — that you don’t belong here and that everyone else is smarter and better. I also feel like there’s a lot of pressure to be the best possible student, almost like you have to prove you belong here. It’s really hard to find your place and your niche, especially when you’re just starting out.

Also, there’s a lot of things that were instilled at a young age. You know, “Black women are strong. Black men are resilient.” It doesn’t leave you freedom to be sad, to be upset.

What’s most rewarding about being part of We Wear the Mask?

A lot of clubs at Carolina, especially Black student organizations, exist for a couple of years and then die out. So it’s cool to build something and know it will outlive me for a while. The club was founded in 2017, and we’ve been able to talk to the organization’s founders, and they were just so excited it still exists and is still making a difference in our community.

To learn more, visit We Wear the Mask’s Instagram page @wewear_themask and check the organization out on HeelLife for upcoming events.