So many people find it challenging to manage and strengthen their mental health amidst high-stress times and long work hours, as well as navigating relationships with partners, family, and life challenges. Mental Health issues suffered by minority groups are often overlooked and go untreated. Bookstr is committed to helping our fellow humans by providing emotional help and resources for minorities suffering from mental health issues.
Alongside the resources posted below are quotes by people who have also dealt with mental health issues in the past. Hopefully, you find something here that inspires you and makes you feel connected with others in similar situations. And always remember that you are never alone in your battle.
An amazing resource to check out is The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Rheeda Walker.
Bebe Moore Campbell
Bebe Moore Campbell was an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities. She has struggled to support her daughter, who battled with mental illness, and a system that prevented her daughter from getting help and support. She founded NAMI-Inglewood in a predominantly Black neighborhood to create a space that was safe for Black people to talk about mental health concerns.
Throughout her time as an advocate, Campbell made her way to D.C. On June 2nd, 2008, Congress formally recognized Bebe Moore Campbell’s petition for National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. This brings more awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard to mental illness in the US.
“While everyone – all colors – everyone is affected by stigma – no one wants to say ‘I’m not in control of my mind.’ No one wants to say, ‘The person I love is not in control of [their] mind.’ But people of color really don’t want to say it because we already feel stigmatized by virtue of skin color or eye shape or accent and we don’t want any more reasons for anyone to say, ‘You’re not good enough.'”
Bebe Moore Campbell
Some of Bebe Moore Campbell’s most compelling novels that deal with mental health are Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine and Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad.
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an American actress best known for her roles in Scandal, Django Unchained, and other amazing productions.
In 2007, Washington and other celebrities joined the 2007 Lee National Denim Day, supporting the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. In September 2012, Washington spoke at the Democratic National Convention in favor of re-electing Barack Obama, with her speech focusing on addressing voter apathy. Washington has also used her celebrity to support voter registration drives and recently encouraged her Twitter followers to make sure they have the appropriate ID needed to vote by contacting VoteRiders, a voter ID education organization.
Washington is also a supporter of LGBT rights. In August 2013, she was named an honorary chairperson of the GLSEN Respect Awards; and she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award on March 21, 2015. In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Washington and others told the stories of the people killed there.
“I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth.”
Kerry Washington
Aisha Mirza
Writing has always been Aisha’s creative outlet since childhood. For generations, her family has produced artists and storytellers. Aisha has inherited her family’s love for words and has, over the years, written articles for magazines, been commissioned to write poetry, and now turning her attention to books.
A resident of Greater Manchester all of her life, she is a modest, striving mother. With a background in Counselling and Psychotherapy, she dedicates her life to the service of others. Her work includes not only working with the elderly, sick, and those suffering mental illness, but also is committed to tackling sexual violence against women and girls.
“It is not the the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.”
Aisha Mirza
“Forging fake smiles to hide painful truths doesn’t take away the hurt, but sometimes safeguards our emotions from those adamant not to understand.”
Aisha Mirza
Aisha’s debut children’s book Time for Bed Zayd, has been warmly received and is a well-loved bedtime read by children from all over the world.
Keri Hilson
Singer Keri Hilson burst onto the scene in 2009 and seemingly had the world at her feet. But a less successful sophomore album and a painful breakup left her in a dark place. Since that time, Hilson has been open about her battle with depression and how she’s managed to come out stronger on the other side.
In June 2022, she tweeted:
“You don’t owe anyone years of your life in exchange for the decline of your mental and emotional health.”
Keri Hilson
Beyond her struggles with mental health Hilson has also contributed to various charities and pursued a career in acting, and she continues to record and perform music. She has contributed to the fight against HIV & AIDS, helped various relief efforts for natural disasters, and become involved with several educational organizations. Hilson has contributed to the “It Gets Better Project,” a project which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.
Emily X.R. Pan
Emily X.R. Pan is a New York Times bestselling author. Her book was also a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Best YA Books of All Time. Her latest novel, An Arrow to the Moon, was an instant national bestseller, a Locus Award finalist, a CALA Award nominee, and featured on NPR’s Best Books of 2022. Emily currently teaches in the creative writing MFA programs at The New School and Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Her novel The Astonishing Color of After portrays the vast spectrum of love and grief with heart-wrenching beauty and candor. Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird. Alternating between reality and magic, past and present, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a luminous debut novel about finding oneself through family history, art, bravery, and love.
“Memory is a mean thing, slicing at you from the harshest angles, dipping your consciousness into the wrong colors again and again. A moment of humiliation, or devastation, or absolute rage, to be rewound and replayed, spinning a thread that wraps around the brain, knotting itself into something of a noose. It won’t exactly kill you, but it makes you feel the squeeze of every horrible moment. How do you stop it? How do you work the mind free?”
Emily X.R. Pan, The Astonishing Color of After
If you or someone you know needs help, these resources are available:
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (for English or Spanish) to be connected to trained counselors in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network
- Crisis Text Line: Text SIGNS to 741741 for 24/7, anonymous, free crisis counseling
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline: Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service in English and Spanish.
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