May is Mental Health Awareness Month! While Black Mental Health Month isn't until August, discussing mental health awareness and resources early on is never a bad thing.
While there is an emergence and recognition that Black people deserve healing and wholeness, we can only make our communities healthier by confronting white supremacy and systemic racism – the things that are at the root of many mental illnesses Black people everywhere are living with.
According to Mental Health America, over 7 million Black people reported having a mental illness last year alone. Imagine how many people have been struggling, but their experiences have no record or may not have been reported at all.
Black people are constantly forced to overcome hurdles rooted in white supremacy. But if it's one thing about us, it's that we can and will rise above in the face of adversity.
Here are two resources for Black people looking for guidance on addressing mental health:
InnoPsych was founded by Dr. Jackman. She knew there needed to be a simpler and faster way for people of color to find therapists of color, and she was going to create it! Not only did she want to create a directory of therapists of color, but she also wanted to facilitate the process for therapists of color to launch their own private practice to increase the pool of therapists of color in the field.
BEAM is a national training, movement-building, and grant-making institution dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black and marginalized communities. Their mission is to remove the barriers that Black people experience accessing or staying connected with emotional health care and healing through education, training, advocacy, and the creative arts.
In addition to these resources, we want to hear from you. What are you doing to help your mental health? Do you have mental health resources to share? Take 2 minutes and let us know via our quick survey now >>
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
