Bebe Moore Campbell - Mental Health Advocate
by Emeteria Scott
“Race, redemption and healing – that’s my thing.”
– Bebe Moore Campbell
My Story
During 2020 I faced some mental health struggles of my own along with the rest of the world. I couldn’t escape what was in the back of my mind and in between the noise of everyday life. I had to sit down face to face with reality and my official diagnosis along with the official diagnosis of one of my five children. ADHD, or in my case, ADD. Almost a year and a half later, trying to launch a business and years after a suspected diagnosis with one of my children, I continued to learn and absorb as much information on how to advocate for my mental health.
As a multi-racial woman, raised by my Black father and Asian mother, I slowly began to become more aware of the struggles within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities regarding mental health. Through the years, I struggled to get my daughter help and support through school and with her mental health care. Seeking information anywhere I could, I have read countless articles online that have included research, information, and stories of people with mental health challenges.
Bebe’s Advocacy
As I read about Bebe Moore Campbell, an author, teacher, journalist, and mental health advocate, I was encouraged by her own story. Her advocacy stemmed from her own daughter’s mental illness. She struggled to support her daughter in a system that prevented her from getting the help and support she really needed to thrive.
Through her advocacy, Campbell has provided support and resources to many in the BIPOC communities seeking answers. Some of these questions were so familiar to my own questions with my daughter. For example:
“Why isn’t anyone in my family talking about mental health?”
“Why are my attempts to meet with teachers and counselors ignored?”
“Why, after several years, are we just now able to get an official diagnosis?”
“Why, after asking the same questions at doctor’s appointments, do we have to switch doctors again due to a lack of care or concern?”
With mental health being such a stigma in the Black community and with Black-Americans being less likely to receive guideline-consistent care in comparison to White Americans, only 1 in 3 Black Americans who need mental health care actually receive it.
As Bebe Moore Campbell and other leaders like her led the way in Mental Health Advocacy in the Black community, I see the importance of advocacy and awareness in my own community and beyond.
Ways We Can Advocate
May is National Mental Health Month and October 2 – October 8 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Along with that, July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month (formerly known as ‘Bebe Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month’) and was established on June 2, 2008, 2 years after Bebe’s passing. This July, the message that NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is amplifying is “Together for Mental Health.” On NAMI’s website, there are resources available for access to care, personal stories about mental health, videos and more. They also provide these same resources specific to those in Black communities to spread awareness. Bebe Moore Campbell’s advocacy for mental health of those in marginalized communities should inspire us all to also find that “Race, redemption and healing…” is our thing too.
