In The Invisible Ache, actor Courtney B. Vance and psychologist Dr. Robin L. Smith examine the mental health crisis affecting Black men and boys. According to the CDC, the rate of suicide among Black men and boys “is accelerating faster than any other group in the United States,” Dr. Robin says. She attributes the rise to historical racial trauma, compounded by the current nationwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Vance lost both his father and his godson to suicide. He has spent years trying to understand the pain his father suffered in silence, and to heal the generational trauma.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album by pianist Angelica Sanchez.