Creation of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

In May 2008 the US House of Representatives proclaimed July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn [D-MD] and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group, was passed in recognition that:

• Improved access to mental health treatment and services and public awareness of mental illness are of paramount importance;and
• An appropriate month should be recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.

Click here for more details and full text of resolution H. Con. Res. 134. Read NAMI's letter of support for this important resolution here.

For a narrative of the events leading up to the creation of this Awareness Month, see this article in the August 2008 issue of Recovery for All, the e-newsletter of the Multicultural Action Center. View the letter of support from a circle of Bebe's friends for the Congressional resolution.

Highlights of Activities. 

2012

2012 Highlight Reel Click the screen shot image to watch the video created with appreciation for all who joined us in ways big and small to help spread the word about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and take action in its name in 2012.

Yolonda Clay of NAMI Lexington (Ky.) takes the mic at the National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Townhall event held at the NAMI 2012 Convention in Seattle

 
NAMI-NNED partnership

In this fourth year NAMI has partnered with the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) to promote and celebrate Natonal Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, together we boosted social media participation through Facebook and Twitter and co-sponsored two webinars:

• Planning Webinar (June): This webinar provided strategies, tips and ideas you could use to mark the month, focusing on social media-related activities and on examples of how you can take action in your community. Download the slides.

• Celebration Webinar (July): Inspiring young advocates, Jessica Gimeno from the Balanced Mind Foundation and writer and activist Melody Moezzi, will share their personal experiences of recovery and will provide tips and strategies others could use on their own journeys to recovery. Download the slides.

Around the country

• The first annual No Shame Day, sponsored by the Siwe Project, was held July 2nd to promote candid discussions about mental illness stigma, diagnoses and treatment options. See Melissa Harris-Perry's video coverage on MSNBC, which aired July 14th.
• Possibly the grooviest recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to date—an attempt of record-breaking Soul Train dance in Harlem to honor its creator, Don Cornelius, who died from suicide earlier this year.
• NAMI Boulder County celebrated National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month for the first time and accepted proclamations from the mayors of Boulder and Longmont, Colo., the two biggest cities in Boulder County. Additionally, a community breakfast event provided a panel discussion around NAMI New Jersey's documentary, "Documenting our Presence." Board member, Elicia Goodsoldier, led efforts and was featured in promotion of the month on local radio station, KNGU.
• The National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health partnered with M3 to develop and release a Spanish language version of WhatsMyM3, a quick and anonymous tool that screens for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. The release was planned for recognition and support of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
• NAMI Contra Costa celebrated National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in partnership with S.P.I.R.I.T. Program with an Arts and Talent Show highlighting information about mental illness, resources in the community and how to combat stigma. A separate event, co-hosted with NAMI East Contra Costa, provided an informational community forum for Spanish-speakers.

  NAMI Metro Houston's prayer breakfast

• NAMI Lexington celebrated the first gubernatorial proclamation of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month by Governor Steve Beshear.  NAMI  collaborated with UK Migrant Farm-workers with Disabilities Employment Partnership, Consolidated Baptist Ministerio Hispano, and Monte de Sion Ministerio Hispano, Nicholasville UMC to provide a community-wide bilingual presentation, “Sharing Hope to Cope,” given by family members, individuals living with mental illness and faith leaders as well as provide a bilingual Suicide Prevention QPR Gatekeeper training. 
• NAMI Meridian and NAMI Mississippi hosted the third annual “Voices of Hope” program in partnership with Choctaw Behavioral Health, Alliance Health Center and Weems Community Mental Health Center, addressing minority mental health perspectives of parents, caregivers, service providers and advocates. According to panelist, Tonya Tate, executive director of NAMI Mississippi: “Experiences of mental illness vary across cultures. There is a need for improved cultural awareness and competence in the health care and mental health workforce.” The panel also included Marshia Moody, Family Involvement Specialist at NFusionX, and Toniya Lay (Choctaw), a therapist at Choctaw Behavioral Health. 
• NAMI Metropolitan Houston hosted a Minority Health Awareness Prayer Breakfast, providing a free meal to interested members of the community to feature information and key messages of mental health recovery and support at a downtown Houston church.
• The fifth annual Minority Mental Health Awareness breakfast was held by NAMI Augusta (Ga.), hosted by Helen Blocker-Adams with theme, “Relationships Strengthen Teamwork.” The program aims were to bring together legislators, educators, mental health,  healthcare and business community to focus attention on mental health among African-Americans and to share information about Hope IS Possible, a self-help talk therapy support program for women, especially single mothers who have experienced trials and hardships to which event proceeds were directed.
• The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services - Office of Cultural and Linguistic Competence held a second annual Media Contest for Minority Mental Health Awareness.  Those sponsoring, hosting or participating in activities throughout the Commonwealth during the month of July were invited to compete by submitting photos or videos of the activity for a chance to win prizes and be highlighted in various publications.

  "At the intersection of racism and stigma, there lies a funny thing called hope" --Jessica Gimeno on the NAMI Blog

Around the web

• NAMI Blog: "At the Intersection of Racism and Stigma" by Jessica Gimeno 
• SAMHSA Blog: "Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: Are We Making Progress in Reducing Mental Health Disparities?" (Larke Huang and Michelle Flores, Office of Behavioral Health Equity)  
• U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health
• Rep. Napolitano and Co-chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus press release
• Counseling Today, “ACA spotlights National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month” (Heather Rudow, CT Daily Online Exclusives)
• National Latino Behavioral Health Association 
• National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health
• Austin Travis County Integral Care

  Panel discussion held by Eight, Arizona PBS featuring Melinda Vasquez, Chief Officer of Cultural and Community Affairs for Cenpatico of Arizona, and Kurt Sheppard, CEO for Valle del Sol

• Hogg Foundation’s HoggBlog: “National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month” (Vicky Coffee Fletcher)
• Allsup: “July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month” (PRWeb)
• University of Nebraska Medical Center, Center for Reducing Health Disparities
• Huffington Post Blog, “No Shame Day: Working to Eradicate Mental Illness Stigma in the Black Community” (Stacia L. Brown)
• VOXXI News Mental Health Month Focus (Hope Gillette):
  • Focusing on issues affecting Hispanics
  • Depression and Latinos 
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder 
    

2011

NAMI San Francisco member, LaVaughn King takes the mic at the 2011 National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Town Hall event at the NAMI 2011 annual convention in Chicago, July 7

• NAMI's Multicultural Action Center was named the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) Partner of the Month for July 2011 in honor of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country the NNED selects an organization to highlight once a month.
• A National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month town hall networking event was held at the 2011 NAMI Annual Convention for the third year as NAMI’s kick-off celebration of the month. Participants were provided with information about the month and resources available through NAMI. Many stood to express personal enthusiasm for the meaning of this special month and shared local plans for events and activities taking place throughout July. 
• NAMI released a new set of multilingual resources on Asian American and Pacific Islander mental health issues. Each fact sheet of this series is available in English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
• Members of NAMI's Diversity and Inclusion Work Group provided their personal experiences and perspectives on National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Their stories were shared during the town hall networking event at the NAMI Convention in Chicago as well as through Recovery for All.
• NAMI Lexington (Ky.) is hosted a variety of events throughout the month including an informational workshop for Latino immigrant families, a mini conference featuring the Sharing Hope program and an annual block party—this year as a reunion of Family-to-Family graduates. Affiliate leader, Yolonda Clay, appeared as a guest on the local TV news to spread the word about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
• NAMI New Jersey provided free community screenings of its 2009 documentary, Documenting Our Presence, throughout the state during July, promoted through leaders of its multicultural outreach programs, AACT-NOW!, CAMHOP, SAMHAJ and NAMI NJ en Español. The award-winning documentary provides a compassionate, hopeful look at the experiences of people of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds who are affected by serious mental illness.
• The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, NAMI Virginia and Colaborando Juntos sponsored a National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Media Contest. Hosts and participants of activities throughout the state promoting awareness of mental illness, prevention, treatment and research in diverse communities were eligible for awards for submitting photos, videos and other creative media featuring their activities. Winners will be announced and awarded in August.
• The National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) and NAMI presented a Webinar, "Empowering Our Voices: Developing & Sustaining Multicultural Consumer Networks" which highlighted two networks formed by the Center for Mental Health Services and the four minority behavioral health organizations as examples of current multicultural consumer efforts taking place nationwide. The National Latino Behavioral Health Association and the National Leadership Council on African American Behavioral Health shared highlights from their efforts to date.
• Flipswitch, the portal of information for teens and 20-somethings sponsored by The Balanced Mind Foundation (formerly Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation), featured a series of short podcasts about minorities and mental health throughout July:
  
  
  • Tribute to Bebe Moore Campbell with reenactments of 2 scenes from her book 72-Hour Hold
  • Hanh’s Story (part 1 and 2): the daughter of Vietnamese-American immigrants discusses how both cultures impact living with bipolar disorder
  • Victor’s Story (part 1 and 2): a Puerto Rican pastor discusses his family’s experience with depression and bipolar disorder
  • Melody’s Story (part 1 and 2): an Iranian-American Muslim author and attorney busts stigma of bipolar disorder and challenges Islamophobia 

2010

• The National Asian American and Pacific Islander Mental Health Association will host a Town Hall Meeting in San Jose California in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. and the California Reducing Disparities Project.  Congressman Mike Honda and Assemblyman Mike Eng will address the impact of mental health of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in California.
• NAMI Lexington (Ky.) enjoyed lots of music, dancing, food, and fun while hosting a “Block Party” celebration in early July with African American and Hispanic/Latino faith communities from the Lexington area. Members of NAMI Lexington’s Multicultural Action Committee have appeared on a local educational television program and Christian radio network to promote their efforts and will run PSAs through local radio stations throughout July.
• The Cultural Competence Committee of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services and the Multicultural Committee of NAMI New York State will be co-hosting a teleconference discussion of Bebe Moore Campbell’s 72 Hour Hold in honor of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
• NAMI New Jersey En Español, led by Martha Silva, recipient of NAMI's 2010 Multicultural Outreach Award, is hosting a spanish-language informational seminar for the Latino/Hispanic community in collaboration with the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health and New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. The seminar will feature expert speakers on the topics of mental health concerns related to aging as well as mental/physical/emotional wellbeing.
• The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously approved the “Bebe Moore Campbell District of Columbia Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Resolution" of 2010. The resolution was introduced by At-Large Councilmember Michael A. Brown and co-introduced by Councilmembers Harry Thomas and David Catania. The resolution was announced at a  community reception held in mid-July which included friends and family of Bebe Moore Campbell, DC officials and mental health advocates.

2009

• NAMI hosted a variety of sessions and events covering multicultural issues including a Town Hall meeting in honor of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month during the NAMI 2009 Convention, July 6-9, in San Francisco. Visit the NAMI Convention Web site for recaps, photos, and downloadable PowerPoint presentations. 
• NAMI Urban Los Angeles coordinated a wealth of activities including a Veterans of Color Health and Wellness Fair, a ”Color of Justice” symposium and a quilting bee in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, a founding member of the affiliate. Visit the NAMI Urban Los Angeles Web site for more information.
• NAMI Tennessee held the state's first Native American Mental Health Summit to address Native American mental health disparities in Tennessee and provide a platform to discuss and advocate for resolution between Native family members, mental health consumers and health care providers. Click here for a report summary of that event provided by NAMI Tennessee.
• NAMI Nebraska hosted a presentation featuring a diverse panel of speakers who provided information on mental health issues and personal perspectives on minority mental health as well as information about NAMI signature education and support programs. NAMI Nebraska also hosted presentations of NAMI's Sharing Hope program, a presentation designed to initiate discussions of mental health and strategies of support among African American congregations.  
• NAMI Dorchester/Mattapan/Roxbury (Mass.) coordinated an expert panel in geriatric, adult and child populations, addiction, inpatient and outpatient treatment, the interaction between mental illness and physical illness and the role of churches in mental health treatment in black communities. The panel discussed the impact of addiction, depression, dementia, chronic medical illness, ADHD and other mental illnesses on individuals, families and the community. The event was co-sponsored by the Cambridge Health Alliance with support from the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) grant for diversity.

2008

Events were held across the country during the first Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, July 2008, to honor the former author and to raise mental health awareness in communities of color:

• Helen Blocker-Adams, founder and executive director of Hope is Possible, an Augusta, Georgia, advocacy organization, was inspired by the month and hosted a Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month awareness and fund-raiser breakfast themed, “Let’s Take Action!” Nearly 50 individuals attended this event in Augusta, including Mayor Deke Copenhaver, Rep. John Barrow, District Director Reagan Williams on behalf of Rep. Paul Broun, and leaders of NAMI Augusta and Mental Health America of Augusta.
• Linda Wharton-Boyd, longtime friend of Campbell, held a panel discussion in D.C., developed a media tour schedule in which she made appearances on several radio shows, and, to encourage mental health awareness at every age level, organized a children’s read-in.
• NAMI Urban Los Angeles coordinated a successful and ambitious range of activities, beginning with a proclamation and press conference July 1. This was followed shortly after by a presentation during the Leimert Park 4th of July Jazz Festival. July 16, the NAMI affiliate hosted a VIP reception at the California African American Museum, drawing individuals from the American Psychiatric Association and Black Psychiatrists of America, local political figures, and NAMI Urban Los Angeles board members. The group cohosted an informative event with the APA’s Office of Minority Affairs Tour, which attracted more than 200 participants, and organized faith-based outreach every Sunday of the month, sending members to visit 20 churches to speak about mental health and available support. Finally, at the end of the month, as a special tribute to its cofounder, NAMI Urban Los Angeles organized a mental health fair and candlelight vigil.

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