brandipettijohn:

Yesterday I learned that there was going to be a flash mob in times square.  Ordinarily I don’t like to be in Times Square cause its just too much for me.  However, I knew I wanted to write about my feelings on Don Cornelius’ death.  So I went out there to check it out.  In the backdrop of the recurring loop of commercials from VH-1 featuring the Basketball Wives and RIPs for Black History Month that included Mr. Cornelius, formed a mobbish glop of a Soul Train line.  The onlookers included the likes of Nelson George and Kara Walker, but ultimately the ill formed line was just too hard to see.  Yet and still people came out, some in afro wigs and 70s attire.  Which is interesting to me because my entre to Soul Train was more spandex than afros, but that’s another story.  

My true feelings on this is that I felt sad about the manner of his death.  Can we address suicide in our community?  The day that Don Cornelius died was the same day that they pulled my mothers neighbor from her home after hanging herself.  So for all the smiles, laughs and afro wigs there was a man in so much mental and or physical pain that he decided taking a bullet was easier.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t celebrate his life and legacy - of course we should with all the love and fun, dancing and afro wigs - but this is a serious thing that we can ill afford to take lightly.  What’s going on with our collective mental health, how can we change the way we handle these issues?  Or are we just going to dance around the fact that he committed suicide?