Racial bias is all around, and there’s no reason to misconceive that obstacles are absent from the new emphasis on mental health.
This was the message during a symposium, “Mental Health Awareness in the Black Community,” that drew nearly 200 participants Saturday to the Buena Vista Community Center.
Issues can be as simple as all-white teams of practitioners delivering treatment to black clientele, said the Rev. Martin T. Smith, keynote speaker and pastor of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church. The panel included a pair of African American professionals with their own operations, Twannie Gray with Solutions Behavioral Health Specialties and Melvin McDowell with McDowell Healing Arts Center.
Pastor Smith noted that in a recent national survey, 45 percent of responders said they are tied to at least one family member or friend with mental health challenges.
Questions arose among attendees, who asked, “Are we notified when funds become available?”
Pamela Pugh, who began her career with Saginaw County Public Health in an attack against lead poisoning among children, demonstrated how an insider’s knowledge can reap results. She now is president of the Michigan Board of Education, and she said K-12 opportunities for new approaches to mental health are reflected in recent budgets and curricula. This is a local asset for Saginaw-area mental health advocates and educators, and grant-writers, to be on top of potential funding.
Speakers also said a need for minor criminal record expungement is especially important for individuals who face mental health challenges that have contributed to past missteps, but still are able to work.
With three clergy on the panel, a need for prayer during difficult times was emphasized above all. Joining Smith were pastors Kareem Bowen from Potter’s Touch and Ken Frierson from New Covenant Christian Center.
Hosanna Lifeskills Center hosted the event.
