July is Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month - Raising Awareness of Communities of Color

California State Assembly Passes NAMI California Authored Resolution Establishing July as Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month - Raising Awareness of Communities of Color

On July 3^rd, the California State Assembly passed the NAMI California sponsored resolution recognizing July as Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month. Following the 2008 proclamation from the United States House of Representatives, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was created to raise awareness about severe mental illness in diverse communities of color, while highlighting avenues for wellness and recovery.

The legislation, ACR 163, authored by California State Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, recognizes July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in State of California. Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is the Chair of the newly established Assembly Select Committee on Mental and Behavioral Health.

Rising in support of the resolution on the Assembly floor were distinguished Assembly members V. Manuel Perez, Majority Leader; Dr. Richard Pan, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee; Steven Bradford, Chair of the Select Committee on the Status Boys and Men of Color; Bonnie Lowenthal, Commissioner on the Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission; Mariko Yamada, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on State Hospitals; and Rob Bonta, speaking on behalf of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

About Bebe Moore Campbell

In addition to being an accomplished author, Ms. Campbell was a founding member of NAMI Urban LA and an advocate for the mentally ill. In 2003 she received NAMI's Outstanding Media Award for Literature for the book, “Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry”, written especially for children, about a young girl who learns how to cope with her mother's bipolar illness. In 2005, her novel “72-Hour Hold” focused on an adult daughter and a family's experience with the onset of mental illness.

 "Stigma is one of the main reasons why people with mental health problems don't seek treatment or take their medication," Campbell said. "People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly.”