“While everyone — all colors — everyone is affected by stigma, no one wants to say ‘I’m not in control of my mind.’ No one wants to say, ‘The person I love is not in control of [their] mind.’”
“But people of color really don’t want to say it because we already feel stigmatized by virtue of skin color or eye shape or accent[,] and we don’t want any more reasons for anyone to say, ‘You’re not good enough.'” — Bebe Moore Campbell
Bebe Moore Campbell’s life and legacy inspired a 2008 congressional resolution designating July as “Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.”A passionate advocate for “spaces of hope and healing where the unheard and untreated could find inclusive and equitable resources for support and mental health care,” Campbell used storytelling to illustrate the intersections of racism and mental health. She also co-founded the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Los Angeles, laying the groundwork for community-based mental health advocacy.
BIPOC Mental Health Month is a call to action and to truth. For too long, Black and Indigenous people and other communities of color have faced systemic barriers to care while navigating the layered, everyday impacts of structural racism, economic injustice, and generational trauma. No one should face these struggles alone because they are a shared reality that demands collective solutions.
At the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy (TYP Collaborative), we know that mental health is not personal — it’s political. Young people of color are speaking out, organizing, and leading the way to a future where healing is a right, not a privilege. This month, we’re amplifying their stories, power, and bold policy ideas that can make mental health equity real.
WEBINAR: Youth Leaders on Mental Health
We’re teaming up with Grantmakers for Thriving Youth for a powerful conversation about philanthropy’s role in supporting the policies and practices that improve youth mental health and wellbeing. Join us on Wednesday, July 23, at 3 p.m. ET and connect directly with young leaders who are forging pathways to healing. Learn more and register here.
On Youth Peer Support
Youth peer support (YPS) programs are a powerful, proven approach to meeting young people’s needs, especially for the increasing number of “opportunity youth,” ages 16 to 24, who are disconnected from school or work. Released last month, our report on YPS in K–12 schools explores key implementation strategies and effective funding models. School-based YPS empowers youth with the tools to support one another, building a culture of connection and mental wellbeing.
Mental health and equity start with supporting a youth-led vision. Young people aren’t waiting for change — they’re creating it, together, because they know healing is a collective responsibility. This BIPOC Mental Health Month, let’s recommit to building a just, caring future for all.
On Climate Policy & Mental Health
Summer 2025 has already seen record breaking heat and devastating floods across the country. The climate crisis is fueling a mental health crisis among youth, so we’re diving deeper into our Unnatural Disasters report with a series of briefs that uplift key arguments and youth-defined solutions.
We need a new framework for disaster relief: The government’s current response to climate catastrophes is failing communities across the country. Youth are especially affected by insufficient aid, limited mental health resources, and institutions that deprioritize residents during relief efforts. From strengthening infrastructure to resourcing the community networks already doing the work, policymakers must address the root causes of inequity to ease youth climate distress.
Climate justice means holding corporations accountable: Individual consumers are not the drivers of the climate crisis — corporate polluters are. Real progress requires policies that curb corporate power, end the profitization of environmental harm, and invest in long-term solutions rooted in justice, not greenwashing. Young people’s mental health depends on policymakers choosing communities over CEOs.
Donate Today to Support Youth-Powered Policy
Join us in shaping the policies and systems we deserve! 100% of your donation will support youth-driven change, helping to fund youth leadership and advocacy efforts with fair compensation, provide emergency assistance with the launch of our collective care fund, and center joy and community through celebrations and incentives.
