Texas Metro VOL 4 ISSUE 5
October 21, 2015
News
Candidly discusses depression, rehab and future
Dallas County DA says she is better than ever By Cheryl Smith
Mental health is an issue that many people don’t like to talk about although according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 42.5 million adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness. That’s 1 in 5 diagnosed. What about those who are without medical attention? .How people deal with mental illness varies depending on the diagnosis, money available for “When I got treatment, health insurance, support well, there was and yes, even culture is a factor. no question that The stigma attached to mental I would address health illness is what keeps many it (depression). I from seeking help. While more and wasn’t going to more attention is focused on certain areas, you still have those who won’t be ashamed.” get help because they don’t want to be Susan Hawk labeled “crazy.” Dallas County District Attorney Recently Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk, the former
Paying homage to ancestors
judge and prosecutor, candidly discussed her diagnosis and treatment for depression. “If I had waited one more week, I wouldn’t be here today,” she said, adding that the nine-week program helped her get healthy. “I needed help. I couldn’t do it on my own.” When news of DA Hawk’s entrance into a treatment facility made headlines, immediately there were calls for her resignation. Those calls are still coming. “I am amazed at the stigma surrounding this,” she said. “People are asking me to step down and that infuriates me.” On the flip side, however, she said she has received a lot of support via emails, calls and people coming up to her and sharing their stories about dealing with an issue that many would rather not talk about. And she doesn’t mind talking. “When I got well, there was no question that I would address it
(depression). I wasn’t going to be ashamed.” When she walked into the room, she appeared upbeat. She had a smile on her face as she greeted the room of journalists. To comment further on her appearance adds credence to the stigma because just like with many mental illnesses, looks can be deceiving and are not necessarily a gauge for determining a person’s mental well-being. After all, many didn’t know the thoughts the District Attorney was having as she went about her day-to-day duties managing in a County known around the world for some major foul-ups. While there were some signs that she was dealing with issues, very few knew the demons she was fighting within. Admittedly, she considered death. In fact, in her state of depression she said the thought of death was “soothing.” She was not in a good place at all.
See District Attorney, page 9
ABOUT DEM BOYS
Carter High goes beyond Friday night lights By Eva D. Coleman
SANKOFA Caravan to the Ancestors was held on October 17, 2015 and presented by the National Black United Front Houston. This spiritual journey was in honor of the Holy Afrikan Ancestors and took place on the historic shores of Galveston, TX. See Photos on page 8.
But after those nine weeks, where she found herself initially for a period of time not allowed to communicate with the outside world and then spending five-to-six hours a day in treatment, she says she no longer has those thoughts about dying. “We don’t all walk around wanting to kill ourselves,” she said. ”Here I was with one of the most important jobs in Dallas County and I was seriously depressed.” She continued, “I know what it is like to be in a black hole with a blanket over me.” In order to keep her job, more importantly to keep living, she took that all important step to seek help. No more self medicating with drugs, she realizes she needed help. That help put her in a place, she said, where she has a brighter outlook on life and although she will be taking medication for the rest of her life and
“I never try to defend their actions, but did the punishment fit the crime,” Carter High Carter High Producer Kelly movie director Gray with Eva D. Arthur MuhamColeman mad answers and asks a room full of journalists this summer at an exclusive screening during the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With stars Charles S. Dutton and Vivica A. Fox portraying Carter High School coach Freddie James and his wife during a tumultuous season in
1988, the movie endears audiences to the rise and fall, and fall again of the football team from Dallas. A team of standouts on the field become locked out of a system of celebrated state champions. The movie details play by play the triumphs and disappointments they face as they earn honors
and have them taken away multiple times. Often detailed as a thuggish team in popular mainstream shows, Muhammad was encouraged to tell the story from a different point of view. “Can you not portray me and my boys the way Friday Night Lights portrayed me and my boys,” Muhammad said he was asked by Coach James. Executive Producer and former NFL player Greg Ellis felt compelled to get the right story to viewers. “It’s important to educate people while you’re
See CARTER HIGH, page 14