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History may help shape us, but it does not define us. We are free to learn from past mistakes, understand their present-day impact, and commit to doing better. I hope you will join us at MAMH - throughout the year - in celebrating not just the contributions of Black leaders and Americans, but also the potential of facing history to help us build a better, stronger future that is truly fair and equal. Read a message from MAMH President and CEO Danna Mauch here.

 

Black Leaders and Legacies

 
Image of Joe D Feaster, Jr., a Black attorney wearing a suit and tie, with glasses, with minimal facial hair

MAMH Governing Board member Joseph D. Feaster Jr. recently was appointed Chair of Boston's Task Force on Reparations. The new Task Force will study the historic role Boston and its residents played in the slave trade, assess its continuing impact on the Black community, and consider ways to acknowledge the impact and advance racial justice to build a Boston for everyone. Read about our conversation with Joseph to learn more about the Task Force here.

 
 

If you've been to the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston, have you ever wondered about its namesake? Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was a pioneering African American psychiatrist who made significant contributions to the study of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Fuller was one of the first known Black psychiatrists, attending Boston University Medical School and spending most of his career practicing at Westborough State Mental Hospital in Westborough, MA. In 1974, the Black Psychiatrists of America created the Solomon Carter Fuller Program for young Black aspiring psychiatrists to complete their residency.  Learn about the contributions to the field of mental health other Black Americans have made here.

 

Mental Health Resources

The Black Mental Health Alliance, an organization developing and promoting culturally-relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services for the health and well being of Black people highlights books on behavioral health written by Black individuals.

Providing services to promote mental health and wellness within Black communities, BARE Mental Health & Wellness also supports systemic change to address disparities within health care and educational institutions, businesses, agencies, and firms.

Designed specifically for communities of color, the Liberate Meditation wellness app provides meditations addressing everything from healing from microaggressions to reconnecting with heritage.

Black Mental Wellness provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, highlights the diversity of mental health professionals, and decreases the mental health stigma in the Black community.

The longest-running program on public television focusing on the interests of people of color, GBH's Basic Black often explores the topic of mental health among BIPOC communities in their episodes.

DeeDee's Cry provides resources and education on the importance of mental health and wellness within communities of color and creates a space where conversations begin to lift the stigma of mental health within communities of color.

 

Toy Burton, Founder and Executive Director of DeeDee's Cry, has been a voice of change within Boston's BIPOC communities. Under Burton's leadership, the organization serves BIPOC communities through increasing awareness of the value of mental health and well being, by educating people about suicide risk, and by providing postvention supports. In recognition of her accomplishments in suicide prevention in Massachusetts, Burton is being honored at the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention Annual Leadership in Suicide Prevention Awards State House Event! 

 

Traditional systems of care may overlook cultural and historical factors that affect BIPOC mental health and resiliency. The Culturally Responsive Behavioral Health Resource Hub on Network of Care Massachusetts is designed to help connect Black and other BIPOC community members with organizations providing care that affirms their lived experiences and speaks to their cultural, social, and linguistic needs. Browse the Hub to find resources near you here.

 

Access to safe, quality, affordable housing, as well as the supports needed to maintain that housing, are a core part of supporting a person’s mental health and wellbeing. Systemic racism and the inequities continue to harm Black and BIPOC communities and shape the racial and ethnic disproportionalities and disparities seen in the homelessness and housing system. Learn more about the role of peer support in helping people find and keep housing in our recent conference recording here.

 
 

MassHealth members will soon need to renew their coverage. Currently enrolled members should make sure MassHealth:

  • Has the most up to date address, phone number, and email so you don't miss important information and notices. 
  • Is aware of any household changes (report changes such as: a new job, address, changes to income, disability status, or pregnancy).

Learn more about MassHealth eligibility redetermination here.

 

Events

Take advantage of the many opportunities for in-person and online training across the Commonwealth! 

Check out our Events page to see what's happening in the behavioral health community this month!

Interested in trainings for supporting older adults with behavioral health needs in the community? Check out our Older Adult Behavioral Health Training Calendar!

617.742.75452 | info@mamh.org
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Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
50 Federal Street 6th Floor | Boston, Massachusetts 02110
(617) 742-7452 | kathyfranklin@mamh.org

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