HarlemLIVE

The Open Book on Broadway presented Terrie Williams’s book, “Black Pain,” on Thursday January 15th, 2009. The event was held in Symphony Space, located on 95th and Broadway in New York City. The event was held in correspondence with Martin Luther King Jr. day, and allowed Williams to talk about and present her new book “Black Pain.” It was also “deaf friendly,” thus a woman translated the event into sign language to present the event for the deaf.

Black Pain was written by Williams and is based on her life and her ongoing struggle with depression. She wrote “Black Pain” in response to over 10,000 people contacting her about an Essence magazine article she wrote about her constant battle with depression. In response to the frequently asked question, “What is black pain?,” Williams says, “Black Pain" is the dark place inside all of us.”

She has been suffering from depression for several years and came to terms with her depression after a breakdown in public. She very openly admits that she struggles with depression and people "certainly don’t have to whisper the word depression.” Her depression stemmed from her being overworked, overtired, and overstressed: “I was always giving, giving, giving, doing, doing, doing.” Her struggle with depression wasn’t easy. She would have breakdowns and if she didn't "get enough sleep, it’s not pretty the next day…I would cry for no reason.” Williams recalls that she would "wake up every morning with an overwhelming sense of dread.”Of course people cope with their issues in different ways.

She coped with her depression using food, saying, “My addiction was food…Every time I would get up to go to the bathroom, I would go straight to the kitchen.” She would feel horrible in the morning, due to her excessive and emotional eating. “I felt like I couldn’t get up in the morning, mainly because I would eat the wrong things too late at night.”Williams's many prominent supporters include Singer Mary J Blige, Actor Chris Rock, Comedian and Actress Monique, Rapper Ludacris, and many others. These various celebrities also have had experience with depression and Williams’s story and book have helped them see past their struggles.

Her religion guided her through, and it ultimately gave her the strength to carry on. After her earlier breakdown she turned to god and feels he is the reason for her path to recovery: “What I know is god ordered my steps… And always gave me the grace to not fall apart in public.”