Mychal The Librarian and the Attack on Black Men Vulnerability

I first discovered Mychal Threets the Librarian, back in August, the same week my son passed away. I remember, because I shared one of Mychal’s TikTok video’s with Taye. I thought the video would resonate with him because they both had big hair, and they both LOVED the library.

A divorced mother of 2 Black son’s, we lived in East Baton Rouge Parish library - specifically the Goodwood Branch, while they were growing up. From free children programs, to books AND video’s they could check out, and the ability to use their wifi and computers when my budget would not allow me to afford any of these things, the library was and still is a great resource for single parents who have limited funds and want to stimulate the minds of their children. Well needless to say, the library stuck with my youngest son throughout his young adult years, and Mychal fondly reminds me of him.

After Taye passed, I continued to follow Mychal on TikTok, because I really enjoy his positive content; the promotion of reading and the library. But we all know the internet thrives on negativity, and it just couldn’t allow this young man to be great and spread awareness and joy.

In recent weeks, Mychal’s content and character was picked apart by people who were only concerned with getting more clicks and likes. One guy shared Mychal’s picture on Twitter with the caption, “People are getting weirder,” while another Twitter user who's profile picture is a picture of Mo’Nique wearing a neck brace, tried to say that Mychal has ‘dark energy’, after he shared a video talking about his mental health and trying to encourage others who struggle with depression, anxiety and PTSD.

We are always complaining about how Black men do not show emotions, but when they do take a leap of faith and finally open up, they suffer negative repercussions. From name calling to outright bullying, we as a society do not create safe spaces for our Black men to be themselves, let alone be vulnerable. For whatever reasons, we think they are a monolith, when in fact, no two Black men are the same.

I was happy that Mychal’s followers quickly came to his defense and shut down the negativity, but it was too late, the damage had been done. Mychal released a new TikTok video stating that he was resigning from his job at the Solano County library because he needed to prioritize his mental health.

I was sadden by this news as I found myself wiping away tears while watching his video. He seemed at peace with his decision, and I applauded him for prioritizing his self care, but I was also angry. Here was this beautiful human, being vulnerable and not only sharing about his love for books and the library, and his journey from being a library kid like my sons, to a librarian, but also his struggles with mental health. He wasn’t trying to harm anyone, yet somehow his vulnerability was used as a weapon against him, and the internet bullies tried to destroy his spirit.

Fortunately, this story doesn’t end on a sad note and in the end, Mychal won.

Mychal also announced that because of the outpour of support from his followers, and people tagging PBS, he will now be working with PBS Kids on a few projects to promote literacy and the importance of public libraries!

So in the spirit of Black men being vulnerable, Mychal and my late son Taye, continue to uplift them when they open up and share how they are feeling, not tear them down. Continue to encourage Black men to be vulnerable by creating safe spaces for them to express themselves without having to experience negative consequences. And lastly - if you don’t have a library card, go out and grab one today, because as Mychal the Librarian constantly reminds us, “Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got your library card!”

Comment below, do you feel society rejects Black men who show emotions?

Dr. Carey Yazeed is a behavioral scientist, bestselling author, and the creator of the workbook and training program, Unbreak My Soul: How Black Women Can Begin To Heal From Workplace Trauma.