Ashley Hutchinson, Special to Valley NewsIn thinking about how I wanted to write about racism and its impact on mental health as a White woman, I decided that I wanted to amplify the voice of a dear friend. He is an African American man who is currently serving his country and is a combat veteran. For his protection, I will refer to him as Lt. Smith, which is a pseudonym.I spent an hour conversing with Lt. Smith about how racism has impacted him both as a service member and as a Black man. Lt. Smith is such an incredible human, and it saddens me to hear that he has been a target of racism. It shakes me to me core and angers me to think that so many would make a rash judgement about him because of the color of his skin, instead of getting to know the man I know. He is married, and
