He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother: Healing, Honoring, and Holding Space at BOSS

June marks Black Men’s Health Month—a time to shine a light on the health disparities, systemic barriers, and paths toward healing for Black men in America. This month isn’t about symbolism. It is a continuation of our work on the ground, every day, to meet Black men where they are and walk with them toward wholeness.

The Weight of Inequity

Black men face the lowest life expectancy of any demographic group in the U.S., with an average of just 67.3 years compared to 76.5 for white men. They are also disproportionately impacted by chronic illnesses, trauma, mental health struggles, and inadequate access to culturally competent care.

And the impact is not just medical—it’s political, historical, and social.

• Incarceration: Nearly 1 in 3 Black men will be incarcerated at some point in their lives, according to the Sentencing Project.

• Mental Health: Black adults are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems, yet Black men are far less likely to receive treatment due to stigma, access, or distrust in medical systems.

• In Alameda County, Black residents make up about 11% of the population but represent over 40% of the jail population, with many suffering from untreated trauma, homelessness, or substance use issues.

“Healing isn’t soft. Healing is revolutionary. Especially for Black men who were told they had to be hard to survive.” Chris Feels

On “He Ain't Heavy, He’s My Brother”

The phrase “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother” is a testament to how we should show up for one another. Popularized in song by Donny Hathaway and rooted in a proverb of profound emotional weight, it speaks to the burdens we carry with and for one another. We know those burdens intimately: mental health battles, reentry challenges, housing instability, and the trauma of gun violence. But we also know that in holding space, we carry and lift. The words echo across our work, especially in June, as we reflect on the unseen emotional labor of Black men and the importance of systems that recognize, uplift, and respond with care. Because when one of us heals, we all move closer to freedom.

In honor of Black Men’s Health Month, BOSS is proud to partner with Mixed Behavior Foundation for Amongst Men: The Weight We Carry—an intergenerational gathering of healing, vulnerability, and truth-telling. This event carves out sacred space for Black men to share, reflect, and release—without judgment or performance. Centered in brotherhood, legacy, and emotional liberation, Amongst Men is a conversation and a communal offering that honors grief, purpose, mental health, and survival.

Through this partnership, BOSS continues its commitment to building infrastructure for healing in our communities, especially for those most impacted by systemic harm, incarceration, and generational trauma.

BOSS: A Blueprint for Healing

We know health is both treatment and transformation. That’s why we center health in nearly every area of our work—from reentry programs and housing support to mental wellness gatherings and policy advocacy.

Here’s how we show up:

• We provide free, trauma-informed mental health services to survivors of violence, including many Black men who are returning citizens, unhoused, or grieving immense loss. Our clinicians, peer support teams, and violence interrupters model healing and access in action.

• Launched in 2024, these community-based wellness events uplift Black men with culturally rooted mental health services, barbershop-style conversations, spiritual grounding, and free resources—from therapy referrals to food and financial support.

• Through our Wellness, Empowerment, and Resiliency Campus (WERC), we offer job training, expungement clinics, and wellness circles designed for returning citizens. We treat reentry as restoration, and not ONLY re-assimilation.

• We say returning citizens, not ex-cons. We say survivors, not victims. We fight for policy change, not pity. Our language is liberation, and our work proves it.

Don't pity us, instead:

✅ Fund services that heal, not harm

✅ Support culturally competent care providers

✅ Hire and mentor Black men

✅ Create safe spaces for vulnerability and strength

Join Us This June:

🔸 Host a wellness circle

🔸 Volunteer with our reentry team

🔸 Donate to expand our trauma recovery work

🔸 Invite BOSS to speak at your organization

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Sources:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• The Sentencing Project

• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

• Alameda County Health Department

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)