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Yolo Akili Robinson (he/him/his) is anon-binarymental health and wellness activist for Black andmarginalized communitieswith little access to mental health services.
As the founder and executive director of the nonprofit mental health organizationBEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective), he has focused his career on providing educational wellness programs and training in CDC behavioral health. Yolo also conducts interventive workshops and is a certifiedyogainstructor.
Yolo Akili Robinson is one of our top 25 thought leaders, experts, and advocates making a difference in mental health.See 2023 Winners
Yolo Akili Robinson is one of our top 25 thought leaders, experts, and advocates making a difference in mental health.
See 2023 Winners
Up Close and Professional
According to BEAM’s website, “Yolo has worked primarily in three areas: Batterers intervention/family counseling with Black men and boys,HIV/AIDs, and healing justice/wellness.” He specializes in Black masculinity,sexuality, andspiritualityas well.
In 2005, Yolo obtained a Bachelor of Arts in African American/Black Studies and Women’s Studies from Georgia State University. After receiving an education in these focus areas, he decided to change his name from Michael Todd Robinson Jr. to Yolo Akili.
Proceeding college, he spent time as a counselor at the National AIDS & Education Services to Minorities (NAESM). He also counseled Black men and boys on masculinity and violence. He then went into coordinating the Men Stopping Violence (MSV) initiative training Black Men on how to act against sexism and violence toward women. In addition, he was the co-founder of Sweet Tea: Southern Queer Men’s Collective, which included gathering queer profeminists fighting against sexism.
With over 10 years of experience in counseling, training, project management, and coordinating, he developed the tools and skills to lead a reputable organization such as BEAM.
Yolo’s Impact At BEAM
When reflecting on Yolo’s career, a great emphasis is placed on his work at BEAM. BEAM is a mental health organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that centers on Black communities and supports self-care and growth while providing access to resources that promote wellness andhealing strategiesfor the mind and body. They also promote interventive practices tailored to Black culture.
When asked what it means to be recognized his work in mental health, he humbly assures that his accomplishment in the mental health space is not credited to him alone. “I think of it as more of the approach to the work being honored, not just me. It’s the approach BEAM has taken to mental health, rooted in the analysis and framework of Black feminists like bell hooks and Audre Lorde.”
I think of it as more of the approach to the work being honored, not just me.—YOLO AKILI ROBINSON
I think of it as more of the approach to the work being honored, not just me.
—YOLO AKILI ROBINSON
BEAM offers programs, training, coaching, and other resources and education. One of its signature initiatives is to tackle the altered view ofmasculinity within the Black community. BEAM’s Black Masculinity Reimagined program offers a safe space for Black men and masculine folks to connect, network, and build skills that combat community violence and strengthen mental health. Through behavioral training and group support, the program addresses the “link betweentoxic masculinity, male privilege, mental health, and sexual and domestic violence." It also “reinforces anti-sexist, anti-transphobic and anti-patriarchal beliefs and behaviors."
BEAM’s programs also include the Black Healing Remixed, which utilizes Black culture and music to discuss topics pertaining to mental health, and Heart Space, a virtual space for Black people that uplifts conversations about wellness, community, and connection. An additional program is The North Star, an online support group that allows mental health and healing professionals to discuss mental health-related topics among peers. Its skill-based trainings consist of the Black Mental Health And Health Justice Peer Support Training, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Training, and Organizational Wellness & Coaching.
BEAM’s website includes a Black Virtual Wellness Directory in which individuals can “find a VirtualBlack therapist, doula, yoga teacher, mediator and much more,” according to the site. They also have two grants, The Southern Healing Support Fund, which provides funding to Black mental health and healing practitioner recipients, and The Black Parent Support Fund, which offers some financial support to Black parents or children living withmental health conditions.
Yolo informs Verywell Mind, “My biggest hope with all of our programs is to continue to build and resource Black communities.”
He also hopes to challenge America’s current system of mental health with policies that focus on workplace wellness, low wages, overpriced housing, unethicalhealth insurance, andhealthcare inequalities. Yolo emphasizes the importance of changing “systems of oppression-transphobia and racism.”
Mental Health Resources for the Black Community
Receiving His Flowers
His work at BEAM has received attention from various celebrities and, more recently, from Black horror/comedy filmmaker, actor, writer, and comedian Jordan Peele, who in 2020 donated 1 million dollars to fiveBlack Lives Matterorganizations, giving $200k to BEAM.
My biggest hope with all of our programs is to continue to build and resource Black communities.
Achievements and Media Presence
His writings and contributed work have been mentioned on media platforms such as Huffington Post, USA Today, Ebony, Women’s Health, etc. He has also written various articles for Huffington Post.
Yolo is not only an award-winning author and activist but a public figure and motivational speaker, delivering many keynote speeches at universities and conferences, not to mention his encouragingpodcastsand videos made accessible to the public.
Yolo on Mental Healthcare and Self-Care
When asked, “What do you think/feel about the state of mental health in America today?” he states that “America wants to “AIor pill” our mental health away, but America doesn’t want to root out the infestation of inequality that produces mental health distress. “Too many of our leaders are not imaginative or bold enough to help us reimagine care systems that grow us beyond pathology,” he adds.
Regarding his own mental health andself-care, Yolo informs Verywell Mind, “As A Blacknon-binaryperson, I have to be honest—I invest in many practices. I have morning care rituals: prayer, meditation,affirmations, and sound healing. I see my therapist at least monthly; my reiki spiritual support quarterly. I also work out and watch what I am eating…I also work hard to maintain a life that has love at its center. Love and care for others and love and care for me.”
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