The "Strong Black Woman" mantra is so embraced by our culture that it is seldom realized just how great of a toll it's taken on the emotional well-being of black and African American women. As much as it may give us the illusion of control, strength and resilience, which can be positive and has served us well to a degree; it is also linked to adverse mental and physical health outcomes such as anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease.

In part 2 of this series, we discuss how and why the SBW concept was created and how it's impacting our overall well-being.