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National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

People in communities of color, women, and sexual minorities can face significant barriers in getting help with mental health challenges. A lack of high-quality mental health services, cultural stigma around mental health, discrimination, and other factors often stand in the way.

This month aims to raise awareness about the various experiences of people with mental health conditions in minority communities. It sheds light on the historical and systemic barriers that prevent people from being able to fully access proper care within their communities. The traumas and concerns that marginalized individuals, such as those with mental health conditions face, are distinct and require proper attention.

The theme of this year’s awareness month is Culture, Community, and Connection. We all can play a part in supporting people in these communities who face mental health challenges. Having empathetic and professional caregivers that are reflective of the community can also help.

In 2005, Bebe Moore Campbell and Linda Wharton-Boyd proposed ending the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and making facilities more accessible. They then created a monthlong initiative focusing on minority mental health. Campbell’s work inspired the initiative; she is an author and advocate who campaigned for better mental health care resources and education in disadvantaged communities. In turn, their efforts inspired Anthony Williams, the head of the D.C. Mental Health Department, to hold a press briefing urging residents to seek mental health evaluations.

The campaign gained widespread support over the next several years, with many people advocating to establish a national awareness month for minority mental health issues. They obtained the support of US Representatives Diane Watson and Albert Wynn, who introduced a bill establishing the month of July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, first recognized in 2008.