Reflections on Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month, the New England MHTTC coordinated events across our partners. We also hoped to center the brilliance, achievements, and contributions of African Americans to the United States. We acknowledge the work of our Black colleagues, partners, and many others in the behavioral health and social justice fields who have been systematically marginalized and fought for health and justice in the past and present.

 
As part of our 2023 Innovations Regional Training event, “Honoring Workforce Solutions to Support Care for Communities of Color,” held February 13-16, 2023, we highlighted innovative approaches to delivering culturally responsive care and building career ladders that support existing staff and retain early career staff, including presentations from:

• Dr. Janan Wyatt: Defining the Workforce and Visioning for the Future: Repositioning Self-Care
• Taylor Bryan Turner, Dr. Dawn Tyus, and Dr. Leonisa Johnson: SAMHSA Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Cares Initiative
• Michele Stewart-Copes, MS, MSW and Dr. Haner Hernandez: Multiple Pathways to the Peer Recovery Workforce
• Dr. Jonathan Edwards: Peer Support: Discourse, Dimensions, Discovery           

This training activity was held in partnership with William James College (Boston, MA) and our regional partners in the Technology Transfer Center (TTC) Network—the New England Addiction TTC and New England Prevention TTC.

The New England MHTTC, and the entire MHTTC Network, is committed to addressing mental health needs and improving mental health services for Black communities all year long. New England MHTTC is also committed to advancing health equity, so everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

Learn more about resources for mental health professionals, the Black community, and allies from across the MHTTC Network. Please also take the time to review previous resources from the New England MHTTC, including:

• State of BIPOC Mental Health in New England
• Supporting the Resilience of Young LGBTQA+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color: A Let’s Talk About Resilience Conversation
• Events and resources from our Racial Equity and Advancing Cultural Humility training initiative 
• Providing Culturally Responsive Care and Addressing Cross-Cultural Barriers in Early Psychosis training series

We hope you will join us in taking time throughout the year to learn more and to use what you learn to increase the availability of culturally responsive mental health services for communities of color.