Black Mental Health Alliance prepares for its 40th Anniversary Gala

LOOKS NICE AND DRY. THANKS, DALENCIA. WHILE HONORING 40 YEARS OF HELPING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, THE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE IS HOLDING A GALA NEXT MONTH TO CELEBRATE THIS ANNIVERSARY. AND JOINING US LIVE THIS MORNING WITH MORE IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANDREA BROWN. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THIS IS EXCITING. WELL, SO EXCITING. AND IS ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO TELL US ABOUT THE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE. SO IT’S FUNNY, WE STARTED 40 YEARS AGO, DECEMBER 9TH, AND SO GIVE US A SHOUT OUT FOR DECEMBER 9TH. AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS IT REALLY WAS TO REDUCE THE STIGMA AND TO MAKE SURE THAT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR REALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TO SEEK A THERAPIST THROUGH A CULTURALLY GROUNDED LENS. AND SO 40 YEARS, OBVIOUSLY, WE’VE WE’RE HERE NOW. AND SO WE DO A NUMBER OF THINGS, HOST FORUMS. WE HOST CIRCLES SO THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR TREATMENT OTHER THAN THE NORMAL ROUTE. RIGHT. AND, AND AND AGAIN, WE CREATE MAKE SURE WE CREATE BRAVE SPACES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN TALK AND PEOPLE FEEL AND WANT TO REDUCE THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS. AND YOU KNOW THAT BY THE TIME SOMEONE MAKES THAT CALL, THEY ARE ON THEIR LAST LEG. THEY NEED HELP NOW. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO IT’S INTERESTING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IS WE WE TAKE ALL OF THOSE CALLS VERY SERIOUSLY. AND SO WE SORT OF HAVE A ALMOST LIKE A CONCIERGE APPROACH. AND SO WE LOOK AT WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE, WHAT WHAT DO YOU NEED? WHAT KIND OF INSURANCE DO YOU HAVE OR NOT? BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE PAIRED WITH THE RIGHT CLINICIAN AND AND WE ARE NOT TURNING, YOU AWAY BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE INSURANCE. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE KEY AND SOME OF OUR PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY SEE YOU WITHOUT THAT. AND SO WE HAVE A ROBUST DATABASE OF CULTURALLY GROUNDED, CULTURALLY RELEVANT CLINICIANS AND PRACTITIONERS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO SEE TO SEE COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TIME OF YEAR FOR FOLKS AND SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET GET PEOPLE CONNECTED. YOU EVEN HAVE A GROUP THAT DEALS WITH WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO ONE OF OUR PARTNERS IS A MATTER OF FACT, WE’RE GOING TO BE HONORING THEM THIS YEAR DURING OUR GALA, AND THAT IS BLACK PEOPLE DIE BY SUICIDE, TOO. AND SO OFTENTIMES WE THINK THAT, OH, BLACK PEOPLE DON’T KILL THEMSELVES. THAT’S NOT TRUE. WE’RE SEEING THE NUMBERS RISE, ESPECIALLY AMONG MEN AND BOYS. AND SO THROUGH OUR WORK WITH THE OFFICE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION, WE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE CONNECTED QUICKLY. WE OBVIOUSLY THERE’S THE 988 AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT THAT HAPPENS. BUT AGAIN, PARTNERS AROUND THE STATE AND AROUND THE CITY ARE POISED TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE AND AND RESPOND QUICKLY. WELL, AND TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, YOU NEED FUNDS. AND SO THE GALA IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. THE GALA IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND OUR REACH, BUT WE ALSO GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING. THEY ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND. AND SO, YES, THIS IS A HUGE FUNDRAISER FOR US. IT IS IT IS PART OF OUR ROAD TO 40. WHO THOUGHT 40 YEARS AGO, I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHEN WHEN DR. COLLIER AND FORMER SENATOR SHIRLEY NATHAN-PULLIAM SAT DOWN TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE, WE’D STILL BE HERE. SO THAT’S EXCITING ALONE AND OF ITSELF. BUT TRULY, THE SAD THING IS, I BET WHEN THIS BEGAN, YOU THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW, NICKED BY NOW. RIGHT? AND NOW THE NEED IS MORE THAN EVER. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAY IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE WEREN’T THERE WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT FORMING THE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE. BUT WHILE WE KNOW MUCH HAS CHANGED, WE KNOW MUCH HAS NOT. AND WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO. WE STILL HAVE MESSAGING TO DO AROUND REDUCING THE STIGMA AND HOW DO WE MAKE BLACK MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH A SEXY WORD. RIGHT. AND NOT NOT A DIRTY WORD. THAT’S NOT TABOO. THAT’S RIGHT. IT STILL IS IN SO MANY FAMILIES AND SO MANY BLACK COMMUNITIES. AND YOU’RE WORKING SO HARD TO CHANGE THAT. GETTING HELP IS A SIGN OF STRENGTH, NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. ABSOLUTELY. IT REALLY DOES MEAN THAT NOT ONLY YOU HAVE WE ARE CREATING A BRAVE SPACE, BUT YOU GET TO SAY YES AND PRIORITIZE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. SO ABSOLUTELY, IT IS A SIGN OF STRENGTH. IT IS CRITICAL. AND AGAIN, THE GALA IS JUST A CULMINATION OF WHAT WE’VE DONE. WE GET TO HIGHLIGHT EIGHT AMAZING PEOPLE FROM HERE AND AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DOING THIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK. AND THEN AGAIN, WE GET TO EXPAND OUR REACH AND IT’S EXCITING TO DO THAT. AND WE HAVE JASON NEWTON ON THERE BECAUSE HE’S YOUR EMCEE FOR THE NIGHT AND WE’RE VERY EXCITED. SUCH A HUGE ADVOCATE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WE WERE OFF CAMERA IS THE FACT THAT WHEN PEOPLE CALL YOU AND THEY ARE SORT OF ON THEIR LAST LEGS IS MAKING SURE THAT THEY’RE NOT TURNED AWAY, THAT THEY ARE FINDING THE RIGHT GROUP OR THE RIGHT THERAPIST TO HELP THEM. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE WE CIRCLE BACK SO WE’RE NOT SAYING, HOLD ON, WE’LL CALL YOU BACK. WE’RE SAYING HERE ARE SOME THINGS. DO YOU HAVE YOUR PENCIL? DO YOU HAVE A CAN WE CONNECT YOU NOW? AND SO AND WE SEE THAT AND AGAIN, OUR PARTNERS ARE THE SAME. AND AND SOME SPACES WE DON’T HAVE IT, BUT IN SOME SPACES YOU CAN TEXT FOR SUPPORT. RIGHT? AND SO THAT REALLY IS GROUNDBREAKING. BUT AGAIN, KEEPING THEM RIGHT WHERE WE HAVE THEM. SO WE’RE NOT PASSING THEM AROUND IS CRITICAL. SO THE SAME SPOT WILL GET YOU TO INFORMATION TO THE GALA AND INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET HELP. TELL PEOPLE WHERE TO FIND IT. SO LET ME TELL YOU, IT IS W-W-W BLACK MENTAL HEALTH ALLIANCE.COM. WE ARE ALSO ON EVENTBRITE BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT. IT IS OUR OPPORTUNE CITY AND THIS REALLY IS A MOMENT AND A MOVEMENT. IT IT IS. IT REALLY IS. AND IF YOU CAN’T GO TO THE GALA YOU CAN STILL DONATE. YOU CAN STILL DONATE AND YOU CAN STILL CALL US. WE’VE GOT LOTS OF THINGS GOING ON. WE’VE GOT CONVERSATIONS, COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING. AND AGAIN, IT IS A SAFE SPACE. WE ARE TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OF THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. SO EXCITED. AND YOU DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL ALONE. BUT YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE ALWAYS GOING TO FEEL THIS WAY. THAT’S RIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, OUR ROBUST DATABASE OF CLINICIANS ARE THEY ARE THEY ARE VETTED. THEY ARE CULTURALLY GROUNDED, AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS YOUR NOW, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE YOUR TOMORROW. WOW, THAT IS SO. WELL SAID. I CAN TELL WHAT A HUGE CHEERLEADER YOU ARE. HOW PASSIONATE YOU ARE ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FOR HAVING ME. YOU’RE VERY WELCOME. AND IF YOU’D LIKE MORE INFORMATIO

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