Session 265: An Oral History of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives announced that July would be known as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. This resolution would honor her work as an advocate for mental health awareness, particularly in the Black community. The goal for the month is to enhance public awareness of mental illness among minorities.  In keeping with this sentiment and Mrs. Moore’s legacy, Therapy for Black Girls takes the opportunity to dig deeper into broadening the conversation around mental health and mental illness each year in July. To kick us off for our month-long commemoration and raise awareness, we’ve created an oral history detailing the creation of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.  In this week’s episode, I'm joined by Dr. Linda Wharton-Boyd, the convener of the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Awareness Task Force, and Albert R. Wynn, a former U.S. House of Representatives member. Dr. Boyd and Congressman Wynn were instrumental in creating Minority Mental Health Awareness Month after Bebe Moore Campbell’s passing in 2006. Our conversation explores the process of bringing Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to life, the impact Minority Mental Health Awareness Month has had over the years, and Bebe Moore Campbell’s continued legacy. Resources Visit our Amazon Store for all the books mentioned on the podcast. Get updates about Sisterhood Heals.  Join us for our Minority Mental Health Month programming at therapyforblackgirls.com/capes. Attend the Bebe Moore Campbell Virtual Symposium on July 7th, 2022  NAMI Urban Los Angeles  Stay Connected Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Take the info from the podcast to the next level by joining us in the Therapy for Black Girls Sister Circle community.therapyforblackgirls.com Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession. Make sure to follow us on social media: Twitter: @therapy4bgirls Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard Producers: Fredia Lucas, Ellice Ellis & Cindy Okereke See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.