I Choose Me

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I CHOOSE ME

A CAMPAIGN THAT MARKS AN IMPORTANT STEP TOWARDS CREATING AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE EVERYDAY REALITY SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS WITHIN MINORITY COMMUNITIES.

“IT’S A MOMENT, IT’S NOT A LIFETIME. THAT IS WHY I AM CHOOSING TO SAY, I CHOOSE ME”

Tatyana Moaton

content

Project overview Aids Foundation of Chicago Howard Brown Health

All about Life 4 All

Life 4 All info@life4all.co Ph: +1 773-732-7321 www.life4all.co

Magazine curated by:

Soumita, The Nascent Group

“Racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high-quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.�

~ American Psychiatric Association

Seeking to create a world where everyone can achieve health equality through providing affirming and culturally sensitive primary care and mental health referrals and resources, health prevention services, education, and community programming and events

An Overview

July 2020

A BEGINNING...

H ealth-equity focused non-profit Life 4 All has launched the “I Choose Me� campaign that marks an important step towards creating an inclusive community by acknowledging the everyday reality surrounding mental health conditions within minority communities.

IDEAS THAT TRANSFORM

Lack of cultural diversity, and systemic discrimination often also mean that the resources to cope with mental illnesses are not only scare but also inaccessible to many. There is little awareness about the proper utilization of the services (if they are present) and often mental illnesses in minority communities can be associated with criminal behavior. The stigma percolates into every aspect of the American cultural and social setting, making it harder to cope with and heal from generational trauma, that has been a direct result of systemic discrimination.

The “I Choose Me” campaign is a response to this stigma, an acknowledgement of the lived realities of minority communities and a step forward towards healing. In the words of the Founder and Executive director of Life 4 All Serette B. King, this campaign is “dedicated to guiding new pathways towards healing by creating a system in which all people can benefit from the growth and progress of those living with mental health conditions and gaining support from the surrounding community.”

IDEAS THAT TRANSFORM

Emphasizing the importance of speaking up and choosing self, King has also remarked, “I Choose Me” is a labor of love that serves as a direct product of choosing my own mental wellness as a priority, of putting myself first. I have had my own battles with depression and it was only when I chose to seek outside help that I was able to witness the benefits that come with the acceptance and acknowledgement that we as individuals need to choose to take action to cultivate our personal paths to healing.

Taking these steps as a community allows us to fight the stigma of silence and denial, therefore making our communities healthier and stronger. Choose yourself today, because I choose me.”

AIDS FOUNDATION CHICAGO For more than thirty years, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) has led the fight for HIV prevention and treatment services in Illinois. AIDS Foundation Chicago mobilizes communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV or chronic conditions.

Vision People living with HIV or chronic conditions will thrive, and there will be no new HIV cases.

Mission AFC mobilizes communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV or chronic conditions.

Values • People First • Compassion • Accountability • Meaningful Engagement • Justice in Action • Innovation

To know more about the work they are doing to eradicate AIDS visit AIDS FOUNDATION OF CHICAGO.

HOWARD BROWN HEALTH Howard Brown exists to eliminate the disparities in healthcare experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness.

Founded in 1974, Howard Brown is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) organisations. With an annual budget of over $145 million, the agency serves more than 35,000 adults and youth in its diverse health and social service delivery system focused around seven major programmatic divisions: primary medical care, behavioural health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives.

To request counseling services, please call 773.388.1600 or check out https://howardbrown.org/ for more information.

LIFE 4 ALL Founded on the belief that it takes only ONE person to save another human life. With the support of every single one of you, we can succeed no matter your sexual orientation, race, or age. The bullet that is health disparities aims at all and it is our goal to provide support for all to receive the services they deserve. So, until the disparities face by communities with unfair access to appropriate primary and mental health services, we vow to be a leader in brining health equality and resources to the disenfranchised by breathing education and prevention services in our communities, thus creating a clear path for a more unified, stronger, and healthier future.

“DEDICATED TO GUIDING NEW PATHWAYS TOWARDS HEALING BY CREATING A SYSTEM IN WHICH ALL PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE GROWTH AND PROGRESS OF THOSE LIVING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND GAINING SUPPORT FROM THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.”

Serette B. King