Bebe Moore Campbell (1950 – 2006) was an African-American author, journalist and teacher. Her bestselling works of fiction often depicted the harmful impact of racism on individuals and their relationships. She was also a groundbreaking mental health advocate. Her Wikipedia entry includes:
Campbell’s interest in mental health was the catalyst for her first children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, which was published in September 2003. This book won the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Outstanding Literature Award for 2003. The book tells the story of how a little girl copes with being reared by her mentally ill mother. Ms. Campbell was a member of the NAMI and a founding member of NAMI-Inglewood (California). Her book 72 Hour Hold also deals with mental illness. Her first play, Even with the Madness, debuted in New York City in June 2003. This work revisited the theme of mental illness and the family.
In a 2005 interview with Time, Campbell was asked about the views of the African-American community on mental illness. She said, “People of color feel the stigma more keenly. No one, regardless of race or gender, wants to say, ‘I do not have control of my mind.’ No one wants to say, ‘My family member doesn’t have control of his or her mind.’ But African-Americans and people of color already feel stigmatized by virtue of our race. Therefore we really don’t want to own up to something else that could be used against us. So we’re going to go into complete denial.”
In another interview, Campbell said, “Once my loved ones accepted [my family member’s] diagnosis, healing began for the entire family, but it took too long. It took years. Can’t we, as a nation, begin to speed up that process? We need a national campaign to destigmatize mental illness, especially one targeted toward African Americans… It’s not shameful to have a mental illness. Get treatment. Recovery is possible.”
Bebe Moore Campbell died from cancer at age 56 in 2006. To honor her legacy, in 2008, the United States House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. This annual event brings awareness to the unique challenges that underrepresented groups face when dealing with mental illnesses.
This year, Mental Health America (MHA), one of the leading mental health advocacy organizations, has rebranded the month-long observance as “BIPOC Mental Health Month” which “more fairly honors and distinguishes the experiences of Black, Indigenous People and People of Color.” MHA provides a toolkit of useful educational and media resources, which aim to spotlight and address the mental health challenges of not only BIPOC individuals but also the LGBTQ+ community.
Additional resources to support BIPOC Mental Health Month can be found here:
- US Department for Health and Human Services
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Although July is officially BIPOC Mental Health Month, these terrific resources can be used year-round to continue to fight discrimination and racism related to mental health issues. Please take a look and consider how you might join in these vital efforts.
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