BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Healing Hub of New York partnered with Say Yes Buffalo to launch a team of 15 mental health clinicians that represents the Black and Brown community in Buffalo.
This initiative came to light following the mass shooting that happened two years ago at Tops on Jefferson Avenue that targeted the Black community.
Fragrance Harris Stanfield is a 5/14 survivor.
She’s also a mother and teacher.
She shares with 7 News reporter Yoselin Person the moment her life flashed before her eyes.
“My daughter and I were standing right next to each other when this started. My hand was on her and when we realized we were under attack we literally watched Mr. Salter backing up and pulling his weapon,” she explains. “We saw that. Like the gunman didn’t turn in my direction at that point. But to see him where he was pointing and doing is enough.”
Fragrance has been going to counseling since the massacre happened where ten Black lives were taken away two years ago.
“The hardest part is when the years go by the expectation is you need to get over it and need to move on,” she says. “And I’d like to say the healing process is what it is. You can’t force someone to heal faster than they do.”
This tragedy brought so much attention to many disparities the Black and Brown community in the East Side of Buffalo face.
Like access to affordable mental health services.
Say Yes Buffalo has partnered with the Healing Hub New York to expand the capacity for clinicians of color in Buffalo.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough Black and Brown clinicians to serve the entire Black and Brown community so of course we have to ensure White colleagues are also trained to intervene in a culturally centered way,” Kelly Dumas, an executive director of Healing Hub of New York. “However, when people do want to see a person that look like them it’s important to have the availability to receive services from a person with their culture.”
Dumas who’s also a licensed clinical social worker, emphasized the importance of having clinicians that represent cultural communities.
“Because we need more clinicians of color that are able to diagnose,” she says. “Oftentimes people of color are misdiagnosed because they’re misunderstood and their cultural differences aren’t recognized.”
Fragrance shares her thoughts on this new initiative for many in the Black and Brown community in Buffalo.
“It’s sad that it took something like this that’s so horrific to get everyone forced on this, but we’d have to say at the end is the results that matter,” she says. “So I’m hoping that this initiative gives us what we were looking for which is a healthy happy progressive community. We can not go forward and say Buffalo is healing if we’re fixing street signs and building new buildings. We need to build the people and make sure people are healing and not glossing over what we went through.”
Click here if you’re seeking affordable mental health counseling services and are interested to learn more about the Healing Hub New York.