Over the last few years, several NBA players have championed mental health. In this day and age, celebrities often come forward to talk about the problems they go through. This can often normalize certain issues in the minds of the public. The wife of Dwyane Wade, and celebrated actor Gabrielle Union, is surely among that list of celebrities.

Union has never had an issue in not just accepting her reality but also in talking about it openly.  In a recent interview, she displayed another example of her candor.  This time, Union talked about a heartbreaking origin story that is tied to her roots.

The wife of Dwyane Wade goes back to her roots

Union has been through several traumatic experiences in her life. While not letting them be an obstacle in her path, Union wanted a new perspective in her life. That’s why, approaching 50, she felt that going back to her roots would help her transition into the next phase of her life.

Thus, she recently took a trip to Africa, where the history of the place, and of her people, made her break down in front of her camera crew. There, she narrated her gut-wrenching, one of its kind, superhero origin story.

While sitting at the edge of the Assin Manso Slave River Site in Ghana, also known as “the last bath” she became one with her ancestors who were taken away from their land. Union said, “This is my superhero origin story right here. Whoever came out of that river is on a different path.”

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Seeing as she was looking for some inspiration from the trip, Union’s visit seems to have borne fruit. “In my brain, I was like, ‘I just got to get to Africa. It’s going to come together.’ That was all I had,” she said about her reason for the visit.

Gabrielle Union and her “trauma bonds”

Union herself has overcome unthinkable pain and trauma. As a public figure, she serves as a role model for those who are still stuck in a bad place.

In her quest to educate people about mental health issues and how to overcome them, she talks freely on the subject. Weeks ago she had talked about the “trauma bonds” that people tend to carry in their life.

Her mantra is to break out of it as soon as you can, which then helps people start a fresh life. Given her personal success, it seems Union has done just that.

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