Ebou Sanyang

Ebou Sanyang has over 35 years experience of Anti-racism training and Black Mental Health Advocacy. He is committed to highlighting the link between Racism and the resulting Black Mental Health issues and Racial trauma that Black people suffer.

Many Managers and Senior Leadership have little understanding of Racism and its painful and harmful impact on Black employees and their Mental Health. Most of the time Black employees who complain of Racism are not listened to, not believed and their Racial Trauma and sense of injustice grows. Those same Managers still believe they are good white people doing good work, insisting they are always right.

Black people's reality is totally different from white people's because of generation after generation of Black people having to go through the same abuse over and over again and not a lot changes. Challenging that white power structure is taken as a personal insult, refusing to see things any other way and vigorously defending their Racist ignorance.

Most Black people are left feeling 'less than' everyone else, they cannot be themselves at work, they have to pretend to get on with colleagues they know are Racist and they feel powerless. Many Black people internalise racism just to cope because it is so painful and affects every part of their lives.

After many years working for white organisations, that do not understand or want to confront their own Racism, Ebou has set up this training.

This Eurocentric framework fails all of us whatever background we have and the need to understand the real reason for Racism is greater than ever.

As all Black people have African ancestry, Racism must be seen through the Black Afrocentric viewpoint, not through a white perspective which perpetuates the problem.

This training is for Black and white people. It helps us understand the Eurocentric framework is the problem and that Racism will never be tackled effectively unless we view the problem from a Black perspective.

black mental health training

Sadly, its no surprise that due to the lack of progress in the last 50 years of tackling inequality and Racism in our outdated Mental Health system, Black people are 5x more likely than white people to be detained under the Mental Health Act. They have to wait longer for assessment and treatment, are more likely to be misdiagnosed and have more severe treatment compared to white British people. That system rarely understands the needs of Black people and how Racism plays a leading role in their Mental Health difficulties. Most Mental Health Clinicians, Psychiatrists and Consultants are white and have little understanding of how Racism works or affects Black people.

This training is for anyone who works in Mental Health and works with Black service users, its for family members, partners or loved ones of someone who is under section in a secure Mental Health Unit or has serious Mental Health difficulties. Ebou can no longer take on Advocacy himself, but will help prepare you to do it for yourself.

Ebou will delve into issues around understanding the process and what rights you have, medication and treatment concerns, Medical Racism, having your say, requesting transfers to a Unit closer to home and understanding what being sectioned means.

Many Black family members feel excluded and are not given as much information as white families. This can cause anger and frustration at the system which is blind to the underlying Racism and resulting Trauma. What to do if someone under section is being Racially discriminated against, suffering Racist abuse either verbally, physically or sexually.

Concerned about attending a Mental Health Tribunal for a Discharge Hearing? Ebou can help to prepare you to support someone at the Tribunal to be able to help you speak up, understand the process, the meanings of jargon and what will happen. This will also help to prepare anyone attending Mental Health Case Conferences and Assessment meetings.

The types of Black Mental Health Training that I cover:

Anti-racism and Black Mental Health,
Black Mental Health and Racial Trauma,
Mental Health Tribunals, Conferences and Assessments; the process and your rights,
Black Mental Health from an Afrocentric perspective,
Culture, religion and Black Mental Health,
Being Black in a white Mental Health system.

Black Mental Health Training

anti-racism Training

This different type of training offers an enlightening perspective, educating both black and white individuals through an Afrocentric view of racism.

As Racism is such a serious 'stand alone' subject, Ebou does not do EDI training.

Afrocentrism is viewing Blackness (Race, geopolitics, biology, cultural and historic heritage) from an African viewpoint and understanding Racism from a Black perspective. Many approach Anti-racism training from a Eurocentric or white view of the world. That is problematic to say the least because Eurocentrism created slavery, colonialism and white supremacist ideals as the norm. It has essentially re-written history, dismissing Africa's immense contribution to the world, its ancient Kingdoms, social structure and justice, governance, rich culture and beliefs as irrelevant. It sets up its own world view which paints white culture, history, language, educational achievements and everything else as superior and therefore the only way to do things.

Eurocentrism has created historical misunderstanding and false information which damages communication and solidarity between many African and Caribbean people. Some Caribbean people have told me that they blame Africans for selling them into slavery and some African people are judgmental and misinformed about Caribbean culture. This keeps us all down.

As a result, Black people are seen as inferior. Racism is a natural result of this white-washed history that only understands Black people as 'less than' white people in every respect. Racism is learned; no one is born racist, but unlearning something which is so ingrained in our whole way of understanding the world is challenging, but ultimately liberating for all.

For parents, guardians and adopters of dual heritage children, this will help to navigate and understand Black heritage, history and culture for your children. Sadly many dual heritage people struggle because they feel they are in-between cultures and don't fit into either. Many don't have any Black heritage input and would benefit from learning about their Blackness to feel more included.

How to talk to your children and prepare them for Racism.

What would you do if your child came home and said someone called them the n-word?

Many Black people feel forced to accept Racism because most white people just don't get it. We cannot allow that to continue

The types of training that I cover:-

Anti-Racism and Racial trauma,
Identity and cultural awareness and dynamics,
Black history awareness,
Self-confidence for young Black men,
How to unlearn Racism,
Understanding white privilege and unconscious bias,
How to deal with Racism at work especially when you are the only Black person,
Understanding Racism and Racial trauma and how best to support Black staff (for Managers and Senior Leadership).

Embark on a unique learning journey that transcends traditional Anti-racism approaches. Whether in the workplace, community, schools or for personal benefit, this training promises an insightful and transformative exploration of Anti-racism, offering a perspective unlike any other.

This is a bespoke service that will adapt to your specific training needs and incorporate whichever areas you would like me to cover. I prefer training in-person in the Bristol area, but can also do this via zoom or teams for online sessions.

Training can be for individuals or small groups of up to 15 people. Ebou's training is deliberately affordable and flexible so that as many can benefit from this as possible.

Anti-Racism

Anti-Racism Training

My Story

Ebou was born and raised in West Africa and came to the UK in his early 20's after being recruited by WOMAD organisation as a translator and Artists Welfare Officer. Before moving to the UK, Ebou had never experienced Racism before. This gave him insight because he had seen both sides.

When he arrived here, he began reading as many books by Black historians and academics as he could get hold of to gain even more understanding and knowledge. Being born into the Jola and Mandinka tribes, Ebou was educated to learn about his Black history, to feel proud of his African heritage, rich culture, go through the 'Rights of Passage' and to celebrate his Blackness. Many Black people born in the UK rarely get the same grounding that empowers Black people to feel good about themselves and truly understand their own rich and powerful history.

After recognising a severe need for this type of training, in 1989 Ebou began leading successful Community Education (after school) programs for young men from Rastafarian and other Black communities in Bristol. He focused on identity and cultural awareness and also mentored and helped those students deal with the Racism they suffer and with their school attainment.

In the mid 1990's, and as Ebou was a rare specialist in this subject area, he was asked to travel and create a Mental Health program for Black people in Sweden as part of their Governments initiative about Black Mental Health.

Black activist Paul Stephenson (of the Bristol Bus Boycott) asked Ebou to join him and the late Tony Benn MP to lecture with them around Bristol including at University of the West of England, about Anti-Racism and social justice.

Ebou ran weekly workshops in St. Paul's for members of the Somali community who were moved into the area and were experiencing racism, low attainment for their children and finding it hard to integrate into British society.

Ebou was invited to give talks at Secondary schools aimed at empowering young Black men to be confident in themselves and achieve their full potential. He spoke to Primary school children about racism and Black history and made it fun with west African drumming, dance and storytelling.

With an Afrocentric perspective on Racial trauma, Ebou has advocated for Black Mental Health in-patients under section including at Broadmoor. He represented and supported in-patients at Mental Health Tribunals and has also been an independent member of a Mental Health Tribunal panel. This was to decide whether in-patients under section are well enough for discharge into the community.

Since then, Ebou has given numerous lectures on Anti-racism, Black History and Black Mental Health and attended many public speaking engagements on these subjects over the years. He was a lecturer at the City of Bristol College teaching the BTEC National Diploma and was asked to teach Black Mental Health as part of the Community Mental Health Certificate. He has trained Nursing students, Clinicians and Psychiatrists, Senior Leadership and employee groups.

JADE ESTELLE HARRISON

BBPDC Founder & Growth Manager BPD & CPTSD Support Group Facilitator

"We were incredibly privileged to work with Ebou Sanyang during a series of three sessions on anti-racism and mental health advocacy. His depth of knowledge, personal experience, and genuine passion for this work is incredibly inspiring, and I came away from each session feeling enriched.

Ebou created a space where we could engage openly and honestly, guiding us to reflect on our roles as white allies and the changes we need to make to better support and center Black voices in mental health spaces. His approach was both compassionate and thought-provoking, leaving us with not only actionable insights but also a renewed sense of commitment to ongoing growth.

At BBPDC, we’re dedicated to making our peer support spaces safe and inclusive for everyone, and Ebou’s training was invaluable in helping us identify the steps we can take to achieve that. We wholeheartedly recommend his sessions to any individual or organisation looking to deepen their understanding and practice of anti-racism within mental health services—or any sector, for that matter.

Ebou challenged us to reflect deeply on our practices and assumptions, while offering us practical guidance to make our peer support spaces safer and more accessible. I can guarantee if you work with Ebou you’ll come away inspired, informed, and ready to make meaningful change"