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The Invisible Ache: Courtney B Vance & Dr. Robin L. Smith

Author Talk

The DC Public Library is excited to host award winning actor Courtney B. Vance & Dr. Robin L. Smith in partnership with MahoganyBooks as they discuss their new book The Invisible Ache.

The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power. This book is meant to guide black men to reclaim mental well-being and provide support to living a whole, full-hearted life. We encourage all black men, young and old, to join us for a life-changing book celebration and experience.

During this program Vance and Dr. Smith will discuss the book with a moderator and answer questions from the audience. Mahoganybooks will also be selling copies of the book

About the Book

A moving combination of memoir, psychology, and practical tools, this book offers Black men guidance and support for reclaiming mental well-being and finding whole, full-hearted living.

Early in his career, actor Courtney B. Vance lost his father to suicide. Recently, he lost his godson to the same fate. Still, as mental health discourse hits the mainstream, it leaves the most vulnerable out of the conversation: Black men.

In America, we teach that strength means holding back tears and shaming your own feelings. In the Black community, these pressures are especially poignant. Poor mental health outcomes-- including diagnoses of depression and anxiety, reliance on prescription drugs, and suicide-- have skyrocketed in the past decade. Institutionalized racism, microaggressions, and stress caused by socioeconomic factors have led Black individuals to face worse mental health outcomes than any other demographic.

In this book, Courtney B. Vance seeks to change this trajectory. Along with professional expertise from famed psychologist Dr. Robin Smith (popularly known as "Dr. Robin"), Courtney B. Vance explores issues of grief, relationships, identity, and race through the telling of his own most formative experiences. Together, Courtney and Dr. Robin provide a guide for Black men navigating life's ups and downs, reclaiming mental well-being, and examining broken pieces to find whole, full-hearted living. Self-care is an act of revolution. It's time to revolutionize mental health in the Black community.

About the Authors

Courtney B. Vance is an award-winning actor on stage, on film and in television. His credits include historically noteworthy films such as Hamburger Hill, The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher's Wife, and The Adventures of Huck Finn. Courtney's portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in FX's The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, of "Uncle George" in HBO's Lovecraft Country, and of Rev. C.L. Franklin in NatGeo's Genius: Aretha have earned him two EMMYs, a Critics Choice Award, a Black Reel TV Award, and multiple NAACP Image Awards, as well as SAG, Golden Globe, and Hollywood Critics Association nominations. He won a Tony Award for his performance in Broadway's Lucky Guy. He is co-founder of Bassett Vance Productions with his wife, Angela Bassett, and is currently President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

Dr. Robin L. Smith is the #1 bestselling author of Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages, as well as Hungry: The Truth About Being Full, a sought-after speaker, experienced media personality, ordained minister, and host of SiriusXM's The Dr. Robin Show, who addresses today's most pressing societal challenges through fearless truth-telling. As a licensed psychologist and mental health champion known for her signature four-step prescription Wake Up! Show Up! Grow Up! Rise Up!(TM), she brings a uniquely healing perspective to our nation's most daunting social justice and mental health issues: from systemic racism and racial violence, to grief and loss, to discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation, to recovering and rebounding as a nation following crises. She holds a PhD in counseling psychology from Temple University and a master's degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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