Mental Health Panel Ft. Artist Young Dro, Grady Hospital, and more was Held at Trap Music Museum in Atlanta
“Please Don’t Crash Out” Panelist. (L-R: Young Dro, Floyd Hall, Briana Spivey, Diana Cortina-Rodriguez and Dr. David Wall Rice) (Picture by Carvd N Stone)
Trap Music Museum, founded in Atlanta by artist T.I. and William “Bem” Sparks, opened in 2018 to highlight the importance and culture of Trap music. The interactive experience has become one of Atlanta’s top tourist attractions. Earlier this week, Trap Music Museum partnered with Honor Roll Clothing to host an art and mental health panel at the museum.
The “Please Don’t Crash Out” panel discussed the everyday stressors and how each panelist deals with them.
The panelists of the night were Atlanta rapper Young Dro, Jasmine Milan of PR Agency Milan360 Strategies, Briana Spivey of the Grady Project, Diana Cortina-Rodriguez of Grady Trauma Recovery Center, and Science Gallery Director Floyd Hall. The panel was moderated by Dr. David Wall Rice, a Psychology professor at Morehouse College.
The panelist had no problem expressing their truths.
Milan shared her story of being a two-time survivor of suicide. She said she was at the top of her career, making good money, and had celebrity clientele, but she was miserable.
To Milan’s point, moderator Dr. Rice said the Black community, and society, are “trained to pursue money, instead of peace.”
For Milan, a huge part of her healing process has been transparency and sharing her story with others.
“There are so many people who live their life in fear of what other people think,” said Milan. “That’s why spaces like this is so important.”
Young Dro surprised the crowd with his pure honesty.
Around the age of 14, Young Dro was shot. He admitted that he begin to embody what he saw around him, which eventually led him to drugs. With great pride, Young Dro announced 16 months of sobriety to the crowd.
The breaking point for Young Dro was seeing a family member addicted to the same drugs he was addicted to, so he knew he had to break the cycle.
“I thought about what’s most important,” said Young Dro. “I didn’t want to leave a negative legacy.”
The crowd engaged with the panelists and resources were shared at the end.
“There is no vulnerability without bravery and courage,” said Cortina-Rodriguez.