July 2021 Newsletter | In Honor of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health conditions impact people of all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and identities. Members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community are the least likely to seek out mental health services, and members of the Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities are less likely than other communities to be able to access mental health services despite the need.
The Covid-19 Pandemic, and social events in 2020 and 2021 such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate, illustrate that there remains a large disparity in minorities’ access to receiving health and mental health services as well as a need to support community wellness. After long months spent processing difficult situations, fighting on behalf of ourselves and others, and the wide range of feelings that comes with those experiences, those of us in a minority community need to make space to tune into our own mental health. As July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we are taking the moment to acknowledge, give voice to, and provide space for recognizing the strength, beauty, and uniqueness of each individual’s story.
To promote mental health well-being, we need to create culturally safe inclusive spaces within the community as well as with allies to communicate and share our stories, promote space for exploring and asking questions from a place of curiosity, be accessible, welcoming, and take action. This month we actively show up for these communities through education, conversations, and actions.
For BIPOC and AAPI:
Educate and learn more about your family’s history, culture, and origins.
Reflect on the strengths within yourself, and how your cultural history may have impacted and led you to who and where you are at this moment.
Spark up conversations within your community.
Join a community to hear other BIPOC and AAPI’s experiences with mental health, to remember that you are not alone.
Address, voice, and challenge biases and racism.
Define what you need for yourself, to sustain a positive mental health.
Resources:
For everyone:
Educate and learn about the history of these communities. Keep in mind that each individual has their own unique culture and lived experiences in addition to their ethnic cultures and background.
Understand how the culture and intergenerational trauma may impact accessibility, one’s trust and willingness to share, and perception of mental health.
Seek training in working with BIPOC or join in community conversations and dialogues.
Resources:
PBS Documentary Asian Americans
13TH (Amendment) Documentary on Netflix
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Reach out to your congressional representative to advocate for legislative change
Challenge and address acts of violence and racism