At Partner for Mental Health, we are committed to uplifting and celebrating all members of the community. This July we spotlight two awareness efforts:
“Disability pride” has been defined as accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity. Disability Pride is an integral part of movement-building and a direct challenge to systemic ableism and stigmatizing definitions of disability.
All disabilities and their intersecting identities should be acknowledged, valued, and respected, and one way to do that is during Disability Pride Month. Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. The Arc, an organization founded to promote and protect the rights of individuals with intellectual disabilities, has some helpful ways to celebrate in this article here.
Formally recognized in June 2008, July is also Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness or BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color) Mental Health Awareness Month. This was named in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell who was a best-selling author, journalist, and teacher who the New York Times describes as being “part of the first wave of Black novelists who made the lives of upwardly mobile Black people a routine subject for popular fiction.”
The American Counseling Association writes: Minority Mental Health Month is a nationwide effort developed by Mental Health America to shed light on the multitude of mental health experiences within Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. BIPOC populations are faced with disproportionate amounts of historical trauma and displacement that can challenge their ability to thrive in their environments. However, culture, community, and connection are pillars that support and uplift BIPOC individuals in the face of oppression and systemic racism. Mental Health America sheds more light on the history as well as provides a helpful mental health toolkit specifically to address BIPOC on this section of its website.
To learn more about local community resources or to get connected with a navigator, connect with us here at 434.257.8108 or email kay@partnerformentalhealth.org
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