Todd Tucker | Family Issue 2018

If you were a kid growing up
in the 90’s, you may remember
the hit Disney Channel
first original series The Famous
Jett Jackson, starring
Lee Thompson Young. Premiering
in 1997, the television
series was based on an
African-American pre-teen
by the name of Jett Jackson
(Lee Thompson Young), who
played a secret agent on a
fictional TV show within a
show called Silverstone. The
series had guest appearances
from numerous entertainment
industry giants like
Beyonce’ and Megan Good.
This show placed a young
black male in a leading role,
while not entertaining some
of the common negative stereotypes
you typically see on
television pertaining to people
of color, especially young
black males. Lasting for three
successful seasons, The Famous
Jett Jackson was a huge
win for people of color everywhere
and was a major staple
in Young’s acting career.
Outside of acting, Young
made sure to invest in his education.
In 2001, at the age of
17, Young was accepted into
the University of Southern
California’s (USC) School
of Cinematic Arts. While
pursuing his undergraduate
degree, Young continued
his journey in acting, with
appearances in the films
Akeelah and the Bee, Friday
Night Lights, and the made
for TV movie Redemption.
In 2005, Young graduated
from USC with honors, and
as a member of the historically
black Greek organization
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
Inc.
On August 19, 2013, Young
failed to show up for filming
an episode on the TNT
drama Rizzoli & Isles. Police
were called to do a wellness
check on him at his Los Angeles
apartment, where he
was found deceased. Police
confirmed the cause of death
as a self-inflicted gunshot
wound. Soon after the horrific
incident, Young’s family
confirmed that Young had
been diagnosed with bipolar
disorder, and had been suffering
from depression before
his death.
This year will mark the
five year anniversary of Lee
Thompson Young’s death,
and projects the importance
of awareness regarding mental
illness and depression.
Unfortunately, mental illness
and depression are taboo topics
within the African-American
community, especially
for black males. Rather than
receiving professional avail,
when signs of mental illness
surface, black men are often
times told to “pray it away”
or “ man up”.
According to the Health and
Human Services Office of
Minority Health 1 , Blacks are
20% more likely to suffer
from a debilitating mental
health condition than their
white counterparts; 40% of
white people seek help, compared
to 25% of black people.
Concealing emotional
distress can sometimes be
associated with the idea of
masculinity and strength. A
2012 study 2 from researchers
at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill discovered
that black men are at
a higher risk for depression
when they mask their emotions.
“We know that traditional
role expectations are
that men will restrict their
emotions or ‘take stress like
a man,’” study author and
assistant professor of health
behavior at UNC’s School of
Public Health Wizdom Powell
Hammond said in a statement.
“However, the more
tightly some men cling to