Why are we killing ourselves?

The recent suicide of 25-year old Lashonda Armstrong and the murder of her three children brings to mind slave stories of black women who sacrificed themselves and family members in violent attempts to escape what they deemed were futile situations.

CNN reported that Armstrong was upset because she found out her lover had been unfaithful. It was also reported that before driving her car off a Hudson River pier, she told her children, "If I'm going to die, we're all going to die together."

Was this an attempt to not enter the unknown alone, or was she trying to shield her children from a male father figure and potential abuse? Or was this the frantic plan of an overwhelmed, delusional, frightened young mother who saw no other way out but death from where there is peaceful safety in the arms of God and no return ticket?

Armstrong probably was overwhelmed. She was in a threatening relationship with a boyfriend, according to her family. Another report said she had an argument with the children's stepfather. At any rate, the family had called police about a domestic dispute before the incident happened.

Armstrong was a student and mother of four: two were toddlers and one was an infant. Attending college is stressful in itself, but having a dysfunctional relationship with a man and four kids to raise is mind boggling! Her suicide proves that women are not superhuman, "I can do anything" divas who are unsnappable.

How does a 21st century suicide of an African American female model slavery suicides? According to a 2006 thesis, "African American suffering and suicide under slavery" written by Linda Kay Kneeland, some people choose suicide when they see no apparent escape from acute and prolonged suffering which may be a result of childbirth, raising children, attending college, etc., all of which Armstrong was undergoing.

Kneeland points out that these "are all forms of suffering individuals consciously and regularly undergo..." and even though slave suicides were rare, they often were the result of a beating. In slavery, "...their situation often had deteriorated below their expectations."

This may be happening more today, with the up tick in suicides among African Americans being fueled by a sense of hopelessness during an economic recession. Added to this is the stigma of mental illness which often goes untreated in the African American community. We must also analyze feelings of abandonment, mistrust, and guilt.

In 2007, the American Association of Suicidology reported that the suicide rate for African American females was the lowest of any racial/gender group. We need to compare these figures with those of today and renew efforts to curtail whatever leads up to self destruction.

©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.