Credit: (Courtesy of Merrill Altberg, Mental Health Association in New Jersey)

Organizers are planning to promote mental health awareness with what they describe as a celebration of the courage, hope and resilience of people of color this Sunday in West Orange.

The event, the Mental Health Association in New Jersey’s BIPOC Messages of Hope and Celebration, takes place during a month-long focus in July on the mental-health needs of Black people, Indigenous people and people of color.

“We use this opportunity to center the conversation around people of color and the importance of emotional wellness and acknowledge the trauma that they still endure and the fortitude that they express, usually in … some form of creativity. So that’s really the purpose of the event,” said Lynette Sheard, the event’s organizer and the director of the New Jersey Mental Health Players, a community education program that is part of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. Sheard also works as the community education coordinator for the Mental Health Association in New Jersey.

The gathering comes as health disparities exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic persist across the state and the country. In 2021, 16% of Native American or Alaska Native high school students attempted suicide, while 14% of Black high school students, 11% of Hispanic students and 6% of Asian students also attempted suicide, according to a report released earlier this year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the same period, 9% of white high school students also attempted suicide.

“First, I think we need to recognize several of the race-based and in some cases, gender (and) sexual orientation-based challenges that exist and that cause additional stressors to the ordinary adolescent growing pains and the trauma that comes with these stressors needs to be recognized as such,” said Dr. Jennifer Durham, a professor and director of clinical training at Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. “And then we need to improve access to quality services,” said Durham, who is an advocate of school-based mental health services through the use of school psychologists.

A question of access

It’s “very crucial” to shine a spotlight on the issues confronting the mental health of people who have traditionally had difficulty gaining access to quality mental health services due to race, gender or other discriminatory factors, Durham said. She added that this is a “real problem” nationwide and that New Jersey is not excluded from this.

But health disparities persist outside of adolescence. From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts, according to The Associated Press, which spent the past year looking at how the legacy of racism in the United States laid the foundation for the health inequities that Black people face. Black Americans have higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, a higher incidence of asthma during childhood, more difficulty treating mental health as teens, and greater rates of high blood pressure, Alzeheimer’s disease and other illnesses.

Sunday’s event is set to include a performance by iDance Ministry featuring Project BrOKen. The ministry is a Union County-based dance organization that serves culturally and economically diverse dancers who are seeking meaningful experiences in dance and mentoring. In addition to performing, dancers also do community service. The organization uses dance and art to cultivate discussion and awareness of mental health issues, addiction and disabilities, according to María Daniel, the founder and artistic director of iDance Ministry.

“We go into communities because we want to not just go there and say, ‘Here’s who we are’ and leave. We like to plant seeds. And those seeds will help point people towards hope, healing and recovery,” Daniel said.

The dance pieces that Project BrOKen are scheduled to perform on Sunday include “Slow Me Down,” which is about anxiety, “Leave Me Alone,” about depression, “Dancing with the Devil” about addiction and “Why?” about suicide. During the second part of the performance, the performers will depict a therapy session through dance, according to Daniel. The third and final part will include a spoken-word performance about suicide and healing.

‘Journey of hope, healing and recovery’

“We just want to leave people with validation, with hope and also show all three phases of not just the diagnosis and treatment but that you can get on that journey for hope, healing and recovery,” Daniel said.

The third annual event will also include resource tables with mental health and wellness information.

“This allows people to share resources, support each other when it comes to mental health awareness and also it just allows the stigma to be reduced because people are able to talk more openly and see that others are going through similar things,” Dr. Angelica Diaz-Martinez said of the upcoming event. Diaz-Martinez is a professor and the director of clinical training in the clinical department at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.

“Members of BIPOC populations are faced with disproportionate amounts of historical trauma and displacement that can challenge their ability to thrive,” Carolyn Beauchamp, the president and chief executive officer of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, said in a statement. “This year’s theme for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Mental Health Month focuses on culture, community and connection. The Mental Health Association in New Jersey uses these three important elements as key strategies all year round to support the mental health and overall wellness of members of BIPOC communities.”

The third annual BIPOC Messages of Hope and Celebration will be held Sunday, July 30 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center located at 4 Boland Drive in West Orange. This is an outdoor event and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. The event is free and family-friendly. Free parking will be available at an adjacent lot and indoor restroom facilities will be available.