One Person Can Change the World
Farquhar Honors College
Teagle Foundation - Knowledge for Freedom Program
Soti Nan Karayib La Ak Lanmou pép la
or, From the Caribbean with Love to the People
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Eleasha A.​
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June 29, 2023
Change project Topic: How can one be enlightened on African-American and Caribbean culture as well as wellness and mental health?
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My project is titled “Soti Nan Karayib La Ak Lanmou pép la”. Translated in English from Haitian Creole, it is transcribed as “From the Caribbean with love to the people”. I choose this title not only to show my love for the Caribbean in itself, but to export how much the Caribbean can give to societies everywhere.
The project will take the form of a website as well as a podcast, inviting influential guests from all over the Caribbean ranging from Haiti through Puerto Rico. The website will include features in order for everyone and anyone to use. Though the main goal is to enlighten and inspire those who are unaware of the deep roots of African - American and Caribbean culture as well as how much the arts and mental health tie into one another (essentially breaking the stigma).
The political context of my change project relates to how unaware the American Society is towards all the hardships that each Caribbean island faces. After reading the political text “The Haitian Revolution”, written by Franklin W. Knight, it was a wake up call and inspiration towards how much countries such as Haiti impact history and its reflection in today's society. Covering topics such as pre-slavery and post-slavery, the report accounts for the main events through Caribbean culture. My main goal is to have my audience come out with the understanding that Caribbean islands are not just a place to import and export goods, but a vibrant and spirited country bursting with culture. My main motivation towards my change project is to cultivate young minds and break the stigma behind mental health in our Afro-Caribbean communities, After visiting the Haitian Heritage Museum, I felt inspired to show young men and women the history of our island through art and show those who are mentally struggling, that art is a break away and a sense of expression. The people and communities I plan to target are those in underserved and disadvantaged areas. Providing aid to those who deal with mental and real world issues is something I hope my change projects influence. My role in facilitating change is being sure I provide the correct and imperative resources towards my main target. By reaching out to different countries' ambassadors, I can provide a different perspective on relevant issues.
This project is important to me personally because as I was growing up, especially going to predominantly white schools as a young black girl, I had no awareness of my very own culture. I became very limited and close minded when it came to knowing how history impacts what is right before our eyes. When I was from, my main answer was Haiti, but I could never explain my heritage to those who were not a part of it. With this given fact, I want to be that outlook for the young boys and girls who never got to give their heritage its credits. Throughout my project I aspire to be the outlet for a unique cause that is not seen in either the classroom or at home. As stated in Haitian Creole, “Les pwa fé vive”. (Hope makes one live.)
Public Resource List
“Exploring the History of Black Music.” Music Forward Foundation. Exploring Black Music. 22 June. 2021, https://musicforwardfoundation.org/news/exploring-the-history-of-black-music-month/
To begin with, this article is titled “Exploring the History of Black Music''. The publishing date is June 22, 2021. The idea of culture can be executed in multiple ways. The definition of culture is also completely different in the eyes of others. Culture can include music, art work, and any other way of formally expressing yourself. With this in mind, music is one of the main domains toward African - American culture. The article depicted takes a deep dive towards how music influences Black culture throughout a multitude of decades. With a very large enlightenment of Rhythm and Blues as well as the large turbulence the 1906’s set off for African - American culture, being Black in America was never the same.
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Importance towards change project: Explains the various adaptations of culture. In this case music affects the idea of African - American experience towards culture.
Notable key quotes: “Rhythm and blues was the soundtrack to an important time in America’s evolution. The emergence of R&B traces back to African- Americans moving from the rural south to cities between 1916-1960. Black music started to reflect urban environments through amplified sounds, social concerns, and cultural pride expressed through music. It combined blues, jazz, boogie-woogie and gospel taking the form of fast paced dance music with highly energized guitar work appealing to young audiences across racial divides.”
Assari, Shervin, et al. “Racial Discrimination during Adolescence Predicts Mental Health Deterioration in Adulthood: Gender Differences among Blacks.” Frontiers, 20 Apr. 2017,
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00104/full
This research study is titled “Racial Discrimination during Adolescence Predicts Mental Health Deterioration in Adulthood: Gender Differences among Blacks.” A longitudinal study ethically conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse took a in depth look towards how racism distorts and completely destroys either a African - American male or female mental health. The study chose a total of “681 black youths: throughout a time span of eighteen years (1994 - 2012), each participant spending their adolescence and young adulthood in an economically disadvantaged urban area. Following their hardships, researchers Shervin Assair, Eshan Moazen, Cleopatra Howard Cadwell and Mac A. Zimmerman ended with “while racial discrimination is associated with negative mental health consequences for both genders, male and female Black youth differ in regard to long-term effects of an increase in perceived discrimination on deterioration of psychological symptoms. Black males seem to be more susceptible than Black females to the psychological effects of an increase in racial discrimination over time.” With a large perspective of how much racial discrimination impacts society overall, the study provides a sense of what exactly anxiety and depression is in the eyes of those who are in unimaginable situations.
Importance towards change project: Explains the significance of a longitudinal research study through which it provides an extensive analysis on how mental health ties into those who are not only colored but underprivileged and underserved.
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Important Quotes: “Racial discrimination may contribute to mental health problems through several potential mechanisms including: (1) heightened negative psychological stress response, (2) increased physiological stress response, (3) hypervigilance, and (4) increased participation in unhealthy behaviors (3, 25, 26). Racial discrimination is also associated with shorter telomere length, which is a marker of aging (27). Racial discrimination is associated with higher levels of nervousness and anger and higher likelihood of evaluating social interactions as harassing (28). While racial discrimination is associated with negative mental health consequences for both genders, male and female Black youth differ in regard to long-term effects of an increase in perceived discrimination on deterioration of psychological symptoms. Black males seem to be more susceptible than Black females to the psychological effects of an increase in racial discrimination over time.”
Published on April 10 2017, the title of this article is “Exploring the Influence of Attitude and Stigma on Participation of African American and Latino Populations in Mental Health Services”. Covering aspects such as the engagements of mental health among African - Americans and Latinos, stigma towards mental health, and the attitudes towards mental health. Each covers an ideology that those of color and other ethnic backgrounds deal with on a regular basis when the idea of being mentally stable and secure. Written by both Jessica A. Fripp and Ryan G. Carlson makes a large emphasis on those who take complete advantage of mental health resources provided to those who are in desperate need. The writers also make an argument through which “African American men, especially during adolescence, are more likely to decline seeking mental health treatment for reasons including mistrust of service providers, shame, and mental health stigma”. The article provides conclusive statistics through which “recounted data from a 2003 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, indicating that 42% of Mexican Americans, 43% of Puerto Ricans, and 20% of Cuban Americans between the ages of 12 to 74 had experimented with marijuana in their lifetime. Depressive symptoms are common among Latinas, with 53% experiencing moderate to severe symptoms when compared with 37% of White American females (Diaz-Martinez, Interian, & Waters, 2010). Several issues (threat of deportation, acculturation, etc.) contribute to depressive symptoms and risk of suicide”. With an attempt to emphasize the importance of breaking the stigma between mental health and various cultures, “The culture created by mental health–related stigma pushes those from a dominant stance (i.e., persons who do not identify with having a mental health disorder) to perpetuate prejudicial or discriminatory treatment toward individuals who desire to seek and participate in counseling. On the other hand, an attitude is an individual's core belief system.” Ending with a powerful statement to not only decrease the stigma between the idea of black vs. white when it comes to mental health but to continuously spread the idea that a healthy mind is imperative for anybody and everybody.
Importance to change project: Elaborates on how mental health impacts different cultures and ethnicities (Latino and African - Americans)
Important Quotes: “When reviewing scholarly literature, the terms stigma and attitude are often used interchangeably, thus making it difficult to determine if lack of participation in counseling is a systemic issue, like stigma, or a matter of opinion, like attitude. Some authors have defined stigma as a “stereotyping attitude” (Feeg, Prager, & Moylan, 2014) or labeled stigma as negative perceptions (Vogel, Shechtman, & Wade, 2010), thus equating stigma to a collection of externalized attitudes, perceptions, or beliefs.”
The article depicted is titled “Caribbean Artists Movement (1966–1972)”. The article is written by Errol Llyod and published on October 4th 2018. The Caribbean Artist Movement was created as a method to celebrate the fondness of Caribbean culture as well as “exchanging ideas and forging a new Caribbean aesthetic in the arts.” The Caribbean Artist Movement was founded in London in 1966 and is recognizably known to organize collaborations from artists from all around the Caribbean, ranging from Jamaica to Trindad and Tobago. Throughout the article, Lloyd uses various works from multiple Caribbean regions in order to describe the emphasis of arts from the islands. Lloyd describes exhibits, newspapers, paintings and much more to convey the importance and inclusion of Caribbean arts.
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Relevance to change project: Explains a foundation between Caribbean artists and their work as well as the explanation to relevant and recent sources from the Caribbean itself.
Relevant Quotes: “In those early days, communication between the Caribbean territories was very limited since some were separated by considerable distances: for example, Jamaica is more than one thousand miles from Guyana, and a long way from the intervening islands of the Leewards and Windwards, Barbados and Trinidad. It is not surprising that Britain, the former West Indian colonies’ ‘Mother Country’, provided the first chance for residents of these widely separated territories to meet. Inevitably these new ‘arrivants’ would have identified themselves as ‘Caribbean’ or ‘West Indian’, and most would have entertained plans to return to the Caribbean at some stage in the future.” “CAM’s historical and social backdrop in the mid-1960s was the recent attainment of political independence by many former British colonies, not only in the Caribbean, but also in Africa and Asia. This represented a new impetus for people to redefine themselves and to take a new pride in their own cultural and political achievements. Whilst this would invariably involve a degree of inward-looking.”
Shukla, Apoorva et al. “Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review.” Cureus vol. 14,8 e28026. 15 Aug. 2022, doi:10.7759/cureus.28026.
This article was written by Apoorva Shukla, Sonali G Choudhari, Abhay M Gaidhane, Zahiruddin Quazi Syed, titled “Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review”. The official publishing date is August 15 2022. The article illustriously highlights the relationship between how artistic values are most commonly known to treat mental health illnesses. With the idea of the basis of art helping numerous express themselves freely as well as improve interpersonal relationships. The research study took a rigorous outlook on the different mental illnesses and how art impacts those who suffer from dementia, schizophrenia and psychosis. Providing a general sense of two completely different aspects of society, arts and wellness make a generalized connection through which many find comfort in.
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Important to change project: Explains the connection between the arts and mental health. Elaborates how each mental health illness is impacted by arts.
Important quotes: “According to a literature search, art therapy treats various mental problems. Research is currently looking into the contribution of art therapy in multiple areas, including depression, dementia, schizophrenia and psychosis. More extensive studies have examined topics like overall wellness or everyday anxiety. It has been proposed that art can help people increase their self-esteem by providing abilities that can be acquired and mastered.”
Doyle, James. “Indigenous Arts of the Caribbean.” In the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.
The article listed is titled “Indigenous Arts of the Caribbean”, and was written in June of 2021. The essay covers how much the people of Taino impacted Caribbean culture. With insight on how much indigenous culture combines within the caribbean culture. With works made with carved bone, shell, copper, quill and stone, the Taino culture left a severe impact within the islands of what numerous people call home. Providing a large emphasis on what exactly the Tiano created with their bare hands, the provides a well uncovered representation of Caribbean and Hispanic culture uniting.
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Important Quotes: “In the centuries before 1492, the Taíno peoples of the islands of the Greater Antilles and people from the diverse civilizations of Central and South America exchanged materials and ideas across a rich maritime network around the rim of the Caribbean Sea. Artists throughout the region created spiritually charged sculptures and regalia in greenstone and gold for men and women to wear in ceremonial performances.”
Relevance: New information toward Caribbean and Hispanic culture.
Read Eleasha's Other Zines
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How's It Going? What's Been Easy? What's Been Hard?
October 24, 2023
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One Person CAN Change the World! Final Change Projects Revealed
March 22, 2024