For Keri Hilson, True Alignment Is The Key To Happiness
Depression is a sneaky bastard who sneaks up you when you least expect it and has the potential to send your life into a seemingly endless spiral of doom. I am a strong black woman who dreams a few sizes too big so that I can grow into them, but that doesn't change the fact that sometimes my feelings of sadness are more than a case of the blues. I've battled the dastardly devil that is depression for most of my life, and I would be lying if I said the struggle didn't come with some war wounds. At this point in my life, I can't say that I've beaten the illness, but I've managed to develop some coping mechanisms that give me a better chance at victory.
Some of these techniques are also used by celebrity, Keri Hilson, who revealed her 7-year bout with depression in March. She posted on Instagram to share with her audience that her path to happiness was not overnight, and came only through the alignment of her mind, body, and spirit. Depression sometimes translates into physical pain, and that physical pain can drain you emotionally. Keri doesn't believe that's a coincidence. She said:
"Ever had emotional pain or worry-some, stressful thoughts that led to headaches or physical pain? Ever been in such physical pain that it affected your spirit? I have...and pretty much any other combination you can think of. I've learned it's because they're all connected. When one is off, the others are affected. (bars)"
Depression does not discriminate and has no definitive cure. Although depression is more prevalent among African-Americans than their non-ethic counterparts, they are least likely to seek treatment. Because we are afraid that we will be scrutinized for what others consider weakness, we suffer in silence without the coping mechanisms we need to rehabilitate and continue living our best lives.
The unanswered epidemic has been deadly among black women, who are more likely to experience depression than white women or black men. This prompted hip-hop philanthropist, Shanti Das to create Silence The Shame, an organization that seeks to eliminate the stigma around mental illness in the black community by enlisting high profile industry professionals to share their own stories. Keri Hilson is one of Shanti's supporters, and revealed in March that depression had caused her to take a 7-year-hiatus from music. She said:
"It all just kind of spiraled for me, and became something I had never been through. I had never recognized myself as a person who can't pick themselves back up. I mean, I was literally on stage crying."
The young singer seemingly had everything she had ever wanted when depression, like the dastardly villain that it is, stole it all away from her. On the heels of her first worldwide tour, she ended an 11-year-relationship which she says all came in terrible timing.
"Literally, 7 years of my life have been a battle with depression."
Keri Hilson said that it took therapy for her to truly start healing, and that for her to begin her real recovery, she first had to experience growth. And as we all know: growth can be painful.
After dedicating years of her life to self-care and doing some serious unlearning in attempt to redefine her perception of self-love, Keri says she's finally found balance. Keri recently reminded us that even when we reach our destination, we should never forget the work we put in to get there. She posted on Instagram:
"And then it dawned on me: Loving myself meant HONORING the growth I've experienced. The worthiness I've found. The strength I've developed. The faith I've grown. The peace I've attained. The happiness I now know…Loving me meant removing anyone & anything that conflicted with any of these, no matter how hard. I've come too far...Honor the work you've done. Honor the growth & healing you worked so hard for... When you are choosing what you'll accept, NEVER dishonor YOU."
Featured image by Prince Williams/Wireimage
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images