Guest Article

By Amanda Castillo The last decade has been defined by a rising understanding of the harmful implicit attitudes present in society. More recently, and most visibly, the issues that have taken center stage in the media are related to racial and gender discrimination. Movements that address these issues are widely heard about and both are heavily misconstrued. When it comes to critiques surrounding the implicit and casual racism in the United States, opponents of these ideas misdirect these conversations so that what was originally a conversation surrounding the police brutality directed towards people of color becomes a conversation about how #AllLivesMatter. Something very similar happens when it comes to the conversations related to the study and critique of attitudes surrounding gend...

By Amanda Castillo Mental illness—In America, it is a phrase that is met with judgement, assumptions, and a lot of stigma. For those who experience mental illness, they are plagued with feelings of isolation and, oftentimes, a lack of compassion and understanding from those around them. On the other hand, people who do not experience mental illness often feel uncomfortable thinking about it and are unsure of how to approach people who are open about their mental illness. The end result is a distinct separation and wariness from both parties and a lack of supportive communities for people who suffer from mental illness. (more…)