Kobe Bryant
On Sunday, January 26, nine lives were lost in a tragic helicopter accident, those of Ara Zobayan; John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Sarah and Payton Chester; Gianna Bryant; and Kobe Bryant. These losses were felt in homes, families, cities, and countries everywhere. Around the world, the name ‘Kobe Bryant’ represents basketball excellence and athletic glory. It represents grit, perseverance, and success, and to the ten million people of Los Angeles County, ‘Kobe’ has an additional meaning, one regarding mental health and advocacy.
In LA, Bryant was a spokesperson for Why We Rise, a campaign within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health committed to “break[ing] through barriers and defy[ing] old assumptions about mental health and the many related social conditions that compound problems and hurt our communities.” In a 2018 Why We Rise interview, Bryant emphasizes destigmatizing discussions and diagnoses involving mental health as “embarrassing” or “sign[s] of weakness.” To Bryant, overcoming these dangerous stigmas is the first step towards the goals of Why We Rise. “Mental health is a challenge that we need to accept,” he says, “not ignore… understand that we face that challenge collectively.”
Bryant says of this collective challenge: “It’s opening up and sharing that experience with others. That’s how you build a community of strength. By getting others to open up and share their journeys and share their stories, you wind up inspiring each other. And you know how that goes: once that inspiration goes back and forth, that energy feeds on itself.”
In honor of Kobe Bryant; in honor of Gianna Bryant; in honor of Sarah and Payton Chester; in honor of Christina Mauser; in honor of John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; in honor of Ara Zobayan; and in honor of their families, friends, and loved ones, let’s share our stories. Let’s be bravely vulnerable and courageously honest. Let’s inspire each other and be inspired. Let us rise and build our communities of strength together.