WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT WHO RECENTLY SELF-PUBLISHED A BOOK AFTER GOING THROUGH HIS DON’T TRAUMA. HE HOPE TO GUIDE OTHERS ON THEIR OWN JOURNEY OF SELF-LOVE. OUR AUDREY BISCOE’S STORY IS A JOURNEY FOR EVERYONE, ANY RACE, ANY COLOR, MAN OR WOMAN, BECAUSE MENTAL HEALTH AFFECTS EVERYONE. DIAMANTE CLEMMONS LOST HER FATHER AT THE AGE OF NINE TO GUN ABUSE AFTER NAVIGATING YEARS OF DEPRESSION AND ISOLATION. CLEMMONS BEGAN TO PURSUE HIS OWN PASSIONS. FOOTBALL, GETTING INVOLVED IN SCHOOL AND LEARNING WHO YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN TRAUMA. I KNOW WHEN I LOST MY FATHER FOR A LONG TIME I DIDN’T REALLY ALLOW MYSELF TO CRY OR REALLY FEEL WHAT I’M COMING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SOME THINGS A MAN SHOULD FEEL AND SOME THINGS WE MUST HAVE TO DO AS THE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD. HE STARTED TO LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO FIND SELF-LOVE, AND ABOVE ALL, GRACE. THIS SPACE TO ALLOW YOU TO FEEL SAD, TIRED, HAPPY, WHATEVER IT IS WILL MAKE YOU WORK. AND I FEEL THAT ONCE YOU GIVE YOURSELF THIS GRACE, THAT’S THE TIME YOU CAN REJUVENATE. IT’S WHEN YOU ARE EVEN MORE RESISTANT BECAUSE YOU ADMIT WHEN YOU ARE DEPRESSED. AT THE SAME TIME, GEMINI WAS HEALING. HE WRITES THE BLUE BOY IS ME, AND HE IS NO LONGER BLUE. INSTEAD, HIS SKIN IS A DEEP BROWN THAT HE HAS LEARNED TO LOVE. THIS IS HOW ARRIVED AGAINST GRAIN. NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT ME, I WILL RETURN SOMETHING. SOMETHING EVEN HARDER. SO FOR ME AGAINST THE GRAIN IS ABOUT NOT GIVING UP. AFTER SELF-PUBLISHING HIS BOOK, SUPPORT FLOWED IN FROM PEERS AND FACULTY AT WCBS. YOU AND IT’S REALLY LIKE AN UNREAL FEELING. I CAN’T EVEN EXPLAIN IT BECAUSE I’M ALWAYS IN FRONT OF THE SMILE TOO STRONG. BUT I JUST LOVE IT. GEMINI, HIS MISSION NOW IS TO COMBAT MENTAL STIGMA. THE FACT THAT I WRITTEN IT WAS JUST MORE OF A PROMISE TO MYSELF. A PROMISE I WILL NEVER LET ME GET THIS LOW. A PROMISE TO LOVE, STAY PUT AND KEEP FAST TO MY DREAMS. THEN THE WRITING WAS KIND OF JUST ME FOR ME, JUST HUGGING ME. THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO SEE. JUST. AFTER GRADUATING FROM WINSTON-SALEM STATE IN THE SPRING, DUMONT HOPE TO PURSUE A CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. I HAVE A LINK FOR HIS BOOK AGAINST GRAIN ON OUR WEBSITE.
First-generation high school and WSSU student self-publish mental health and trauma book
Updated: 4:35 PM EST, November 25, 2022
A first-generation high schooler and Winston-Salem State University student has self-published a book about mental health after learning to navigate his trauma. Jahmonte Clemmons hopes Against the Grain will guide others on their own journey of self-love. “It’s good reading for anyone, any race, any color, male or female because mental health affects everyone,” Clemmons said. At the age of nine, Clemmons lost his father to gun violence. After going through years of depression and isolation, Clemmons began to pursue her own passions in life. Things like playing football, getting involved in school, and learning who he was outside of his own trauma. “I know when I lost my dad for a long time, I didn’t really allow myself to cry or feel what I was going through, because there are certain things a man should feel and certain things a man should feel. I would do as the head of the family.” He began to learn what it means to find self-love and above all, grace. “That space for you to feel sad, tired, happy, whatever it is, will allow you to cross. Once you give yourself that grace, that’s when you can recharge, that’s when you’re even more resilient, because you admit you’re depressed,” explained Clemmons. At the same time he was healing, he was writing and that’s how ‘Against the Grain’ was born. “No matter what life throws at me, I’m going to fight it back, something even harder, so for me, Against the Grain is about not giving up.” After self-publishing her book, support poured in from her peers and professors at WSSU. “It’s an unreal feeling that I can’t even explain, I try not to smile too much, but I love it,” he said. Her mission now is to fight mental health stigma. He said, “It was a promise.” After graduating from WSSU in the spring of 2023, Clemmons hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement. Click here for his book, Against the Grain.
A first-generation high schooler and Winston-Salem State University student has self-published a book about mental health after learning to navigate his trauma.
Jahmonte Clemmons hopes Against a current will guide others on their own journey of self-love.
“It’s good reading for anyone, any race, any color, male or female because mental health affects everyone,” Clemmons said.
At the age of nine, Clemmons lost his father to gun violence. After going through years of depression and isolation, Clemmons began to pursue her own passions in life. Things like playing football, getting involved in school, and learning who he is outside of his own trauma.
“I know when I lost my father for a long time, I didn’t really allow myself to cry or feel what I was going through because there are certain things a man should feel and certain things I would do in as the head of the household.”
He began to learn what it means to find self-love and above all, grace. “That space to allow yourself to feel sad, tired, happy, whatever it is, will get you through. Once you give yourself that grace, that’s when you can rejuvenate yourself, that’s when is when you’re even more resilient, because you admit you’re depressed,” Clemmons explained.
At the same time he was healing, he was writing and that’s how ‘Against the Grain’ was born.
“No matter what life throws at me, I’ll fight it back, something even harder, so for me, Against a current is not to give up.
After he self-published his book, support from his peers and professors at WSSU poured in. “It’s an unreal feeling that I can’t even explain, I try not to smile too much, but I love it,” he said.
Her mission now is to fight mental health stigma. He said: “It was a promise to myself, a promise that I would never let myself sink this low. A promise that I would stay put and that I would quickly stick to my dreams. The writing was a hug from me to me. That’s the best way to look at it, a hug.
After graduating from WSSU in the spring of 2023, Clemmons hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement. Click here for his book, Against a current.
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