Dartmouth author and advocate uses film to start a conversation about mental health
Global News
'Scratching the Surface' explores mental health struggles within the African Nova Scotian community.
Guyleigh Johnson is using her first film, Scratching the Surface to start a tough conversation. The spoken word artist, advocate, published author and now filmmaker is using her voice to raise awareness of mental health in the African Nova Scotia community.
Johnson grew up in Dartmouth, N.S. In 2016, she published her first book of poems, Expect the Unexpected followed by her second book, Afraid of the Dark. Both collections are reflections of challenges faced by Black youth. With Scratching the Surface, Johnson continues the theme of mental health struggles for the Black Nova Scotian community through film.
“A couple of years ago, I wrote an article … around the same topic,” Johnson says.
The response, she says, was an outpouring of “love and support” from people who said they could relate.
“I said to myself, ‘I definitely need a bigger platform to reach more audiences, especially if so many of us are feeling these familiar feelings.’”
Most of the short film centres on a group of African Nova Scotians taking part in a workshop, discussing mental health and the stigmas surrounding speaking out about it.
According to a 2020 report by Ottawa Public Health (OPH,) finding mental health support in the Black community can be layered with racism, intergenerational trauma and stigma. Cultural barriers and limitations in accessing affordable and diverse mental health support also make it harder to seek help.
READ MORE: ‘Strength isn’t what you carry’ — Black women open up about mental health
Police say an 81-year-old woman is dead following a dog attack involving three dogs who attacked her inside her own residence, in Northern Ontario.
King was a prominent figure in the demonstration that rolled into the national capital in 2022, which saw protesters entrench themselves in downtown Ottawa for three weeks.
Dermo, which has been detected in Canada for the first time, has spread from oyster to oyster in New Brunswick.
The latest draft negotiating text released Friday pledged $250 billion by 2035, less than a quarter of what developing countries requested.
The officials say Ottawa will be chipping in $108.5 million over the next three years to Ontario’s existing Student Nutrition Program and First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
A mother who was struck by a vehicle, along with the father and three other children, has now died from her injuries in hospital just over a month after the collision.
Erin McQueen believes her tools were stolen on Nov.16 while her truck was parked in Kelowna near Ellis Street and Clement Avenue.
"I am fighting for my daughter." How one Regina family is looking to the community to help raise money for a potentially live saving trip to the United States.
Kingston hosts the 59th Vanier Cup, featuring Laval vs. Laurier, promising excitement, economic impact, and family-friendly events. Full details on the big game.
Saskatchewan has been battling an increase in overdoses for many years. But based on recent data, Saskatchewan’s response to drug toxicity may be working.
A council representing Montreal and the suburban municipalities will vote on whether to stop the practice in the six West Island suburbs that treat their water with fluoride.