“The Missed Education..”

I gotta just go on and say it:

The psychedelic community is dominated by white faces.
I don’t have any charts or stats to prove it.
I’m just speaking from my own POV after five years in this space — and from where I’m sitting, there really isn’t a big African American presence here.

I’ve been doing this for half a decade, and I still haven’t seen a large number of Black people who look like me, talk like me, or come from my hip-hop culture. Maybe there are folks like me who stay in the shadows, tripping quietly in their private time, not broadcasting anything, not saying a word. But me? I’ve watched hundreds of YouTube videos and followed psychedelic trends on social media, and all I keep seeing is the same thing:

Some odd-looking white dude, or a bohemian white woman who looks like she just teleported here from the ‘70s hippie era.

And the experiences they talk about?
Bro… they do not resonate with me at all.

It’s the same recycled story every time — seeing elves, “breaking through the veil,” wanting to fly, outer-space visuals, cartoonish hallucinations. I even heard someone share a story about their friend taking three grams and ending up schizophrenic in a mental hospital.

I’m sorry, but I’m calling bullshit on a lot of what I’m seeing.

I don’t have these wild, circus-level experiences. Not even close. And it’s starting to bother me a bit, which is why I decided to share my experiences — because I honestly don’t think the stories being told are an accurate representation of what mushrooms are.

I’m not saying people don’t have tough experiences or trauma-responses. I’m sure some do. I’m not dismissing anyone’s pain. But I refuse to believe mushrooms are out here snatching souls and dragging folks into the loony bin. That’s not their motive. That’s not their program.

These stories feel like white people’s stories — not mine.

There are a few Black figures in the space with a different perspective: Darren LeBarron, the late Kilindi Iyi… and of course Mike Tyson, who’s been a great ambassador. But even still, Tyson’s audience is mostly white. Same with Rogan.

But who looks like me?
Who talks like me?
Who dresses like me?
Who in the hip-hop or Black culture space is openly sharing their psychedelic experiences and making it feel authentic — not weird, not forced, not gimmicky?

Does that person even exist?

…or is the person I’m looking for actually me?

Maybe it is.
Maybe I’m being called to testify about the wonders of psychedelics instead of waiting for someone else to go first.

I decided to write about my experiences because I don’t want another Black person feeling like I felt — floating in this space with no cultural mirror, no tribe, no trusted voice that sounds like home.

Maybe my tribe hasn’t found me yet.
Maybe they’re watching quietly.
Maybe they’ll show up once I start talking.

I commented on a psychedelics.com post the other day and got some traction — positive interactions, people curious about my take. But still… if I didn’t know better, I’d honestly think I’m the only Black person deeply into this practice who also honors the medicine instead of treating it like a party drug.

I’m a 45-year-old Black man from the hood who just happened to find and fall in love with psychedelics.
And I’ll be real — it gets lonely sometimes.
There are things I wish I had someone to talk to about.
But the more I write this, the more I realize:

I might be that person for somebody else.

“Be the change you want to see” energy — that’s all this is.

Mushrooms are not some silly drug that makes you zone out and trip over imaginary portals. I’ve never once been encouraged to jump out of a window. I’ve had challenging trips, sure — but never anything close to wanting to harm myself. That’s not how mushrooms move.

Also, you can’t be doing mushrooms at a concert or a festival where they’re just a side dish to the party. They’re jealous. If you mix them with too many vices or too much chaos, you won’t have a good time. There’s a time, place, and posture for mushrooms — and they demand respect.

I’m not here to promote illegal activity, but I’m also not here to let a bunch of fear-based narratives define something sacred.

My relationship with mushrooms is personal.
Intimate.
Spiritual.

So I’m speaking up about all these negative agendas and exaggerated horror stories because I know, without a doubt, that psychedelics are not what people think they are.
Not even close.

I’m here to shift the narrative — not by preaching, but by telling the truth as a Black man who found healing in a space not built for him… and decided to build his own seat at the table.