Throughout the last couple of weeks, I have been sharing my personal journey of battling depression. This talk is not about sympathy or showing emotion for me, but rather getting engaged with other young adults and Millennials about opening up to this or other mental health issues.

I believe that it is time to let the negative stigma go of having depression and other mental health issues. As an African-American, the struggle is really real for someone like me because many African-Americans and other minorities are told that one does not have mental illness. Rather, we are told to pray about it. Even worse, many of us are told that mental health is not a serious problem. We are told to brush it off and be like Elsa and just to let it go.

But how can one person of color let go of things that have haunted us from childhood? From the workplace? Or even someone has said from our own families and friends?

With the recent news of rapper Kid Cudi addressing his mental health issues and having fellow rappers like Drake and Kanye West making fun of Kid Cudi of his mental health and depression saddened me deeply. It showed towards my social media audiences as well as to journalism students I recently spoke to at Indiana University. We all agree that the public media has a long way to go when it comes to embracing mental health. Not everyone that goes through depression is viewed as crazy. Take Ron Artest for example. The basketball star has had his share of moments. We all remember where we were that night in 2004 when Artest let go of his emotions that spilled out into the stands in Detroit. I am not supporting his behavior of what he did that night, but I am saying that people needed to hear him out of why he reacted the way that he did. It also didn't help that Artest didn't seek professional help after the incident. By 2010, when playing with the Los Angeles Lakers and winning a championship, Artest had seen the errors of his past, and the first person he thanked was his therapist. Immediately after the incident, people quickly took him out to dry.

I always find it quite odd that when Caucasians are acting out, like when they shoot up a schoolhouse full of children or plant a bomb at a major sporting event, one is quick to point out their state of health at that time. However, that can't be said of people of color. We (myself included) are quick to judge that minorities are crazy and that they need to go jail or be put to death. It is also saddening after watching director Ava Duvernay's thought provoking documentary, 13, to learn that many minorities that are in our prisons today are people that are needing intense therapy for their mental health-not be locked up serving lifetime prison sentences for a crime that they wouldn't commit, had they been on medication, seeing a therapist and also instilling some spiritual guidance as part of their treatment.

So, it's with this that I implore to my people of color-YOU ARE GOING TO BE ALRIGHT! It's okay to have feelings of hopelessness, to get feelings of sadness and pain. I also want to let you know that help is available. Speak to a trusted person. If it's a pastor, a family friend or even a family member, let your emotions flow. Don't bottle those emotions of hurt and pain and fear. Even though the mental health landscape still have ways to go, there have been improvements in the last 20 years. More individuals are being trained for mental health awareness, there are advances in medicines and technology when dealing with depression and anxiety. In Indianapolis, there is talk of having housing units that is specifically designed for people that are mentally challenged. I am also proud to see that more mental health care facilities are being built for patients. There's even a special day that is designated to bring awareness of mental health.

With all of these advancements, there is still work that's needed to be done. More training is needed for law enforcement -particularly those serving in lower income neighborhoods more training when dealing with mental health. More mental health facilities are needed in minority area neighborhoods and needed to have longer hours than the standard 9 to 5. Mental health doesn't take a vacation or is only available Monday through Friday. Finally, we need more advocates. If we can have people standing up for other issues like LGBT, homelessness and immigration, there needs to be people who understand. People that share compassion to those that are needing that someone to talk to when family, counselors and even the local police aren't trusted or available. It's with this that people suffering from mental illness can say, 'today is going to be a good day. I'm going to be all right.'