Updated: Apr 7, 2020
This month, we honor Black professionals that fight for economic and social justice in the mental health field. Professional Men like Solomon Carter Fuller and James B. Comer. Professional Women like Freda C. Lewis-Hall, Mamie Clark, and Linda James Myers. Society would not be as aware or insisted on finding alternative solutions for Black mental health care without their contributions to the mental health field. As we step into 2020 it is imperative to continue research and implementation of alternative mental health care in order to further the well being and growth of the Black Community. According to Thomas Vance, a postdoctoral and clinical research fellow at the Gender Identity Program at Columbia University Medical Center, psychological difficulties in the Black community is " related to the lack of access to appropriate and culturally responsive mental health care, prejudice and racism inherent in the daily environment[and media] of Black individuals, and historical trauma enacted on the Black community by the medical field. "
Better mental health care in our communities will lead to better people, neighbors, professionals, and parents. As a former dance director for an after school program in Harlem, I've worked with many children who could benefit from the practices of basic mental wellness activities and resources. Learning these concepts at an earlier time could reduce the effects of mental stress and illnesses at later ages.
Today, MoHo takes a stand, promising to continue to bridge the gap between mental health resources and the communities we work in. We aim to give ACCESS to mental health resources in a CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE WAY, through dance and the creative arts. We rebuke prejudice and racism in the media and reverse the assumptions of the public through our work and community building.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE: 2020 BHM Tribute
The video is about the journey of two black women struggling with society's perceived image of themselves. As they become more discouraged about their social situation, they become silent. Their true emotions and feelings being portrayed under the stereotypes that fall under many Black women who choose to speak. (Learn more about the "angry black women complex" here)
The young girls represent innocence and new beginning. Children express themselves honestly regardless of how society might take it. They represent the pure energy, joy, laughter of children who have not yet become fully conscious of their black bodies and the role they have in society. They are truly Black Girl Magic.
The young girls remind the older woman that it is okay to feel these emotions and speak on them. They choose to enlighten the older women in order to uplift the next generation of Black people and to better the life of the young child coming after them. With the help of the children, the women are able to reclaim their voices. The women with child is reborn, as her child is getting ready to be born. That child is surrounded by love, care, and strength of its community and everyone is better off for it. As adults, we often think our job is to teach our children, yet we can see our children have so much to teach us as well. Though we are raising them, they raise our spirits, they raise our knowledge, they raise our pride. Henceforth, " It Takes A Village"...Enjoy
MoHo would like to thank the parents of these young girls for allowing us to foster their creativity and mental wellness. To the girls....You guys are great beyond measure. I am extremely proud of you five and am excited to continue this journey with you all.
Research and information used in this article can be found below:
https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/be-female-anxious-and-black
https://www.nami.org/find-support/diverse-communities/african-americans
https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/addressing-mental-health-black-community
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/the-invention-of-childhood-innocence/
https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1203&context=gse_pubs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24188294