JULY IS NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
In 2008, the US House of Representatives designated July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which is now known as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn [D-MD] and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group to achieve two goals:
- Improve access to mental health treatment and services and promote public awareness of mental illness.
- Name a month as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.
As part of this effort, The HHS Office of Minority Health joins partners at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels to help raise awareness about mental illness and its effects on racial and ethnic minority populations.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
- In 2017, 41.5% of youth ages 12-17 received care for a major depressive episode, but only 35.1% of black youth and 32.7% of Hispanic youth received treatment for their condition.
- Asian American adults were less likely to use mental health services than any other racial/ethnic group.
- In 2017, 13.3% of youth ages 12-17 had at least one depressive episode, but that number was higher among American Indian and Alaska Native youth at 16.3% and among Hispanic youth at 13.8%.
- In 2017, 18.9% of adults (46.6 million people) had a mental illness. That rate was higher among people of two or more races at 28.6%, non-Hispanic whites at 20.4% and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders at 19.4%.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that “racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care. Poor mental health care access and quality contribute to poor mental health outcomes, including suicide, among racial and ethnic minority populations.”
OTHER NEWS
A Message of Thanksgiving
In this season of Thanksgiving let us embrace the words of renowned poet Maya Angelou-
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
Thanksgiving is a time when we gather around the table with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate our blessings of the past year. It is our time to put aside our differences, give thanks for our blessings, and express our gratitude.
As we are move into the last weeks of 2023, we have witnessed and experienced some of the most challenging times that many of us have ever seen. Amid these times, we have been brought closer together not because of our similarities but because of our differences.
During our 2019 Symposium, Our WA President Gwainevere Catchings Hess said,
THE BLACK WOMEN’S AGENDA, INC. ENDORSES KETANJI BROWN JACKSON’S NOMINATION TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) today announced its enthusiastic support for President Joseph Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. “While there are many individuals, including numerous Black women, who are exceptionally qualified to assume a seat on the nation’s highest court, Ketanji Brown Jackson comes to this moment with impeccable credentials,” said Gwainevere Catchings Hess, BWA’s National President.
Financial Workshop Series
The Black Women's Agenda, Inc., under the sponsorship of The Coca-Cola Company and in collaboration with BWA National Collaborating Organizations, proudly presents its virtual learning series of Financial Workshops as a part of I Am the Change: Empowerment Through Economic Freedom. This three-part series, hosted by financial expert Martin Booker of AARP and featuring illustrious guest speakers, is designed to impart essential skills to help black women to unlock their financial potential and take charge of their economic well-being.
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