St. Paul man launches 'The Black Parachute,' a free guided journal for Black men
- Binta Kanteh
- 29 minutes ago
- 5 min read
"The Black Parachute," a guided journal for Black men – rich with 365 prompts exercises and check-ins – inspires reflection, self discovery and ultimately, healing.
The curator of the journal, Josh Cobb, wants to get it in the hands of as many Black men as possible, so the journal is free.
Cobb, 29, launched the journal earlier this year. He was born and raised in St. Paul, near Rice and Maryland streets and did much of his schooling in the Rondo neighborhood before going to college at St. Cloud State University, where he majored in mass communications and double minored in communication studies and African American studies. Cobb spent his early career as a storyteller. He now serves as a communications specialist for the City of St. Paul.
Many seeds were planted throughout Cobb’s life that would later result in his dedication to improving the mental health of Black men. One of the seeds that provided the infrastructure for the journal was a fellowship with the African American Leadership Forum (AALF) called the Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy, named in honor of the pioneering civil rights leader.
“The fellowship’s torchbearer project (is about) how do we pass the torch to the community? Mine was the Black Parachute,” said Cobb. “I didn't know what it would look like, but I just knew (growing up) I wish there were more safety nets or programs for specifically Black men. (I thought) this could be a way that I could kind of help bridge that gap.”
Cobb went on to create The Black Parachute, a nonprofit, and authored the journal that shares the organization’s name. The guided journal is dedicated to Cobb’s childhood friend, Deshawn Perry who died in a car accident in 2018. Perry exemplified for Cobb the power of vulnerability.
The idea to utilize his AALF fellowship to help build The Black Parachute was already rooted in a few years of pondering how to close health gaps for Black men and what services would’ve supported Cobb as a child and adolescent.
“What if there was a big fund to cover the economic gaps and give access to health care for Black men? We're always talking about Black men not going to get checked, we're more susceptible for prostate cancer, subtle mental health issues and the suicide rates for young Black men are the highest among any other demographic,” Cobb said. “That's where it came from. During that time, I was journaling a lot. I've always journaled, I had a graveyard of journals at my house. There's a lot of good questions that helped me along the way, but I wish some of them were more tailored to my experience.”
Cobb said journaling was the only space that truly felt safe enough to release what was in his heart and in his mind.
“I was always dealing with depression, I didn't know what it was, I didn't have the language for it, until I got into therapy in college,” said Cobb. “It made sense when I was told that and explained why I was going through what I was going through. I don't know why, but (as a child) I would just journal, I would write about it. If something would happen, I would get in my little twin bed and I would just write. After I was done, I would crumple up the paper, throw it away for a couple different reasons. One, because I didn't want anybody to know. And two, it was just like it felt good. It was like a release.”
"The Black Parachute" journal can be started at any point in the year. The significance of the word parachute for Cobb is its relation to safe landings and being met with a support system.
“A quote that changed my life is by Bell Hooks, from ‘All About Love’ – ‘Self love cannot flourish in isolation.’ I have a lot of prompts in here that push people to reach out to people to be in community,” said Cobb. “‘Hey, how are you? Who are you beefing with? Who do you have a grudge against?’ Talk about it. After you're done talking about it, call that person up, talk to that person and see if you can get a resolution.”
Destyn Land, who was born and raised in the Rondo neighborhood, serves on the board of The Black Parachute. He said there’s a critical need for Cobb’s approach to creating safe spaces that nourish Black men’s connection to well-being. Land describes the mission of the journal as a reclaiming of the right to be well.
“(Cobb is) providing Black men with a space to slow down and honestly engage with themselves. Many Black men and boys have been robbed of the freedom of self-discovery because of the harmful idea that journaling, reflection, and emotional honesty are inherently feminine or 'soft,'” Land said. “Through the distribution of these journals and the work of The Black Parachute, I hope Black men and boys are given the opportunity to reclaim softness and create safe spaces where they can confront the thoughts, feelings and emotions many of us were taught to suppress. Though journaling may not be everyone’s preferred method of processing, I still believe this kind of exposure is deeply important, and I’m grateful to see it providing people with an outlet to better understand themselves.”
Cobb’s goal with The Black Parachute is for it to emerge into a one stop shop suite of services that support Black men prioritizing their mental and physical health.
“The goal is to get a fund going where we can eliminate the cost burden for health and wellness access for Black men in the Twin Cities. Journals, gym memberships, and talk therapy – that's the three pronged approach. The journal is just one aspect of our programming.” Cobb said.
Cobb’s focus on providing resources for free stems from his own experiences not being able to afford the cost of comprehensive health.
“The goal is to eliminate those hurdles. I wholeheartedly disagree with people paying any dollar amount for health care. This is kind of my rebellion to that. We can pull together dollars to get people the help that they need without having to go into debt to get basic tools for their health to take care of themselves,” Cobb said.
With modest support from the State Arts Board, Cobb has been able to distribute a few hundred journals since March.
“There are people out here, of all ages, all backgrounds, fighting real silent battles. People have really gravitated towards this tool, (I’ve gotten) an outpouring of support, emails and people sharing their stories.” Cobb said.
One way Cobb is getting journals into the hands of people who need them is through a series of pop ups around the state. The next pop up will be on Saturday, May 23 at Black Garnet Books, 1319 University Ave., St Paul, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.