Mental Health Awareness Month

As we approach May, I draw your attention to May being Mental Health Awareness Month.  What do you think of when you hear the term “mental illness?”  Do you think it is only people you see who you think have an obvious mental illness?  Do you think of only certain classes of illness or what you see in the movies?  Do you think it certainly can’t be me?  Do you think that certainly a person of faith will not have a mental illness?  This is just the surface of the stereotypes and stigma that goes along with mental illness.  It is often hard to acknowledge that help is needed, but that is the first and critical step on the road to recovery.

There are many reports of arrests and mistreatment of those who have called for help due to an exacerbation of symptoms of mental illness and the end result is prison or death.  The criminalization of the mentally ill must stop.

Many members of society charged with a crime suffer from mental illness and in spite of the views of many members of society, the United States Constitution states people charged with a crime, whether a minor offense or a major criminal act must still be afforded their basic human rights. According to the American Civil Liberties Union those rights include:

• The right to adequate medical and mental health care,
• The right to informed consent to treatment
• The right to have regular and timely access to medical and mental health staff that is culturally competent and qualified to provide adequate treatment and supervision.
• The right to be free from corporal punishment, chemical restraints, and sexual abuse or coercion.
• The right to an individualized written treatment plan periodically reviewed and revised based on the prisoner’s needs

Far too many prisoners are held in deplorable conditions and treated less than human.

For mental health treatment to be successful within the prison population these and all other rights must be adhered to, decriminalization of mental health must continue to be advocated for.  Prison diversion programs are designed to prevent the incarceration of mentally ill offenders and to promote their transition into an appropriate community-based treatment.  Here the limitations of public policy and legislative actions hinder diversion programs’ success.

Realizing the availability of mental health services in correctional facilities is limited; community advocates continue to seek funding opportunities to build mental health facilities staffed with trained professionals.  For example, the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) has called for a true Community Benefits Agreement with the Q Arena Expansion and part of that proposal calls for (1) a Community Equity Fund for distressed neighborhoods for jobs, youth and capital projects (2) two Mental Health Substance Abuse Crisis Centers on the CLE East and West Side (3) $35M Philanthropic Investment from Rock Ventures CEO and Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert to initially capitalize the fund and initiate the mental health and substance abuse crisis center projects

We continue to fight to eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness, we continue the fight to ensure our communities are equipped with mental health professionals and facilities, we continue the fight to ensure our police force is properly trained in dealing with mental illness.

More people are finding the courage and bravery to come forward and acknowledge that they have a mental health problem; as a result they are often met with the stigma of discrimination and stereotypes whereas it should be met with hope, encouragement, and support.  I urge you during the month of May for Mental Health Awareness Month, to be observant, be accepting, to be an advocate.    

If you know someone with a mental health problem or if you know that it is you in need of a mental health professional, tear down the scaffolding of the shame, fear, and stereotypes and seek the help that is needed.  A few online resources are listed here for you.

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may

https://www.nami.org/Find-Support

https://www.samhsa.gov/

Peace,

SharB~TTSD

The Red Dress

Red Dress #1

Yes, the Red Dress, a mainstay as important to me as breathing, has continued to evolve symbolically throughout my life.  Red has always been my favorite color and it seems there is always a Red Dress in my wardrobe.  As my relationship with my husband grew, the Red Dress became a symbol of our love beginning in December of 1986 when I wore the Red Dress my husband had recently purchased to his military function. Ahhh...the memories...we were a stunning couple that day. September 1987 our daughter was born.

Red Dress#2

Go Red for Women is a social initiative implemented to raise awareness and empower women to strive to be heart healthy.  In 2003, the Red Dress became the symbol for women to raise awareness and dispel the myths that heart disease is an old man disease.  In fact, heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women, claiming nearly 500,000 American women each year.

Losing my mother to heart disease in 1983 started me on a lifelong journey of heart health awareness.  That journey; however, took a drastic turn on November 8, 2016 when I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease, thus giving the Red Dress even more significant meaning in my life.

The Red Dress not only symbolizes love but it now symbolizes the criticality of my own heart health and I now strive even harder to share the love, to guard and protect my heart, and make healthy heart choices.  I admonish you to do the same. 

I hope that by sharing this brief account of the Red Dresses in my life, you are encouraged to 'tear down the scaffolding' of life, love and of the myths and misconceptions of women’s heart health.  Live your life to the fullest, love deeply, and be heart healthy.

SharB~TTSD

Readers are Leaders

It was my plan to present these book highlights right at the end of February; however life happens and once again I am able to knock down the scaffolding of procrastination and share this blog post with you.  It is never too late to discuss a good book and encourage reading.  As an avid reader, I chose to focus on African American authors in February.  Two titles I completed in February and highly recommend are, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson and Men We Reaped: a Memoir, by Jesmyn Ward.

 In The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson poignantly narrates the story of a young man born to a Black mother and White father; however, it was not until the age of 9 during a spelling contest at school that he discovers the color difference between himself and the other students in the class. Born in a little town of Georgia a few years after the close of the Civil War, the narrator portrays a boy who traveled with his mother from Georgia to New York then finally settled in Connecticut. 

Watching and listening to his mother play the piano inspired him to start playing. It was during those nights by the piano followed by rocking in his mother's lap by the fireplace coupled with the teaching she provided that built the foundation for him becoming an accomplished pianist.

His father, though absent, continued to provide for the young man and his mother affording them a middle-class lifestyle, which was rare in the Black community.  Returning to the south, he experienced various aspects of Black culture, which led to his decision to live as an “ex-colored man.”  The underlying theme of this book is the portrayal of this young man’s experiences of having a Black mother and White father and to live his life able to “pass” for white.

This book, although fiction, speaks very plainly regarding race and discrimination during the Harlem Renaissance era.  The reader will still find many parallels to the 20th century.

In Men We Reaped: a Memoir, Jesmyn Ward shares her heart-rending story of living life with the loss of five young men in her life including her brother. Jesmyn says that she wrote this memoir to share with us the plight of the young Black men in her life and community, and how they had been prey to drug addiction, racism, broken family relationships, and much more.

Jesmyn writes about the school administration neglecting the needs of the Black male, which in turn leads to them being labeled as troublemakers, seemingly benign neglect that turned malignant leading to a thick paper trail of imagined or real discipline offenses. Once the paper trail grew thick enough, students who endangered the blue-ribbon rating were summarily kicked out.

As Jesmyn repeatedly endured tragedy after tragedy, her own perceptions and life experiences seemed to spiral downward.  As she drove aimlessly one night attempting to drown her grief, she wonders if “they were courting death, if not, why did he keep following us, insistently, persistently, pulling us to him one by one?” (p. 130).

The history of Black people…we've come a long way right...or have we? Through slavery our ancestors fought hoping to pave a better life for their children and their children's children. The migration north helped many realize a certain amount of progress but the struggle for equality continued. Stop and reflect for a moment, hundreds of years have passed yet the struggle remains. Is equality real for all? Are the hungry fed? Regrettably the answer is a resounding no. We have excelled yet we have fallen way short. We must raise our sense of urgency. Please do not wait for tragedy to strike your house before you say or do something.

I hope this encourages you to read, read, read and grasp all the education you can and to share your knowledge and experiences.

I further encourage you to view the Women’s March website where a list of books, films, and articles are listed to further our commitment to learning our history and share our collective knowledge to effect change.

SharB~TTSD

31...

I want to be numb, but I feel it
I want to be deaf, but I hear it
I want to be blind, but I see it

The sights and sounds of this world can be overwhelming.
Thankfully I am neither numb, nor deaf, nor blind.
For if I was numb, I wouldn't feel your hand in mine
If I was deaf, I wouldn't hear your whispers of love in my ear
If I was blind, I wouldn't see the twinkle in your eyes.
Ours is rare
Ours is unique
Ours has transcended all boundaries

This love is one of a kind.

The world’s attempts to overshadow us are fruitless
We are constant, our love endures.

31 years ago today, I met Levi.  I love you my husband.



SharB

February sidebar...

34 years ago today we said our final farewell to my mother.  It will soon be 15 years that we said farewell to my brother.  Indeed my heart aches for them both. I'm so thankful for my husband whom I love dearly and my children who mean more to me than words can ever express.

The moral of this brief message is simple:  don't allow your life to be consumed with the pain and suffering that is so prevalent every day.  Life is too precious, too short for all this dumb stuff. We must; however, change what we are able to change.  We must be the change we want to see.  Hold fast to your faith, facing each day with determination, commitment, and hope for the future.  May seem unrealistic, but try.

Love the one you're with.

Hug your kids.

Don't let another day go by without doing something good.

When it's all said and done, you will have left a legacy that those remembering you will be proud to speak of.

SharB~TTSD
#TakeTheScaffoldingDown

The Importance of February

February is Black History Month, an opportunity to recognize and honor the many accomplishments and achievements of Black people. On this day I honor my mother, Braddella Galloway Brown, born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the daughter of a Methodist preacher with roots in the Mohawk and Shinnecock Tribes she loved to remind us of our family history.  She is one of our mighty trailblazers being one of the first black women hired at National City Bank in the early 1970s. A strong, God-fearing woman, my mother instilled those same strong Christian values in her three children.  While leading a full, productive life, her heart became weak.  Cardiovascular disease ended her life at the age of 51.  My mother left a void that certainly cannot be filled. She did; however, teach me the importance of a healthy, spiritual heart and even when the heart condition she had endured since birth weakened her physical heart, she continued to demonstrate strength and faith in all she said and did.

February is Women's Heart Health Awareness Month.  According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading killer in the U.S. (killing approximately one woman every 60 seconds). The good news is that 80 percent of cardiac events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes.  If you had heart disease, would you recognize the symptoms? Many of us are familiar with the scene of a man clutching his chest and falling to the ground, but there is so much more we all need to know.

According to Go Red for Women, there are many similarities in the symptoms of heart disease in men and women, there are even more differences – differences that could save, or end your life if you don’t know them. Heart disease and stroke disproportionately affects African-Americans.  African-American women are less likely than Caucasian women to be aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death.  Additionally, African-American women have almost two times the risk than Caucasian and are more likely to die at an early age compared to women of other ethnicities.  So, learn the symptoms and don’t ignore them as I did.  You see, on November 8, 2016 I experienced a significant cardiac event and the cardiologist looked right at me after I failed the stress test and said, “You don’t have a week, you don’t have a day.  You’re going straight to the hospital.  If you don’t go now, you might not have another chance.”  Receiving this news, the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, set a new course for my life.

There have been great strides in the research and treatment of cardiovascular disease since losing my mother in 1983.  I am encouraged with my prognosis and for those facing heart disease and stroke today.  Education, lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise are key areas you can control in your life.   I encourage you to visit the American Heart Association's and the Go Red for Women websites to further your education and understanding of heart disease. The more a woman knows about heart disease, the better chance she has of beating it.

Realizing more than ever how crucial it is to guard your heart; physically emotionally, and spiritually, I share this with you and hope that you are encouraged to be heart healthy for you, for your family, for those that love you.

SharB~TTSD 
#TakeTheScaffoldingDown

Enough

Show us direction to walk into the Healing, show us Direction to run on for Justice.  Through the turmoil through the wars, and rumors of wars, through the killings, through the bullying, through the mercilessness of neglect, through the venomous words that come from people’s mouths, oh God help us to still stand Erect and hold our heads high because according to the word of God the end is near and we must now more than ever be in a state of preparedness.

The devil in his many disguises is roaming every street corner, every school, every home, every church, every court house, and more attempting to devour another someone, another anyone.  Be prepared, be alert, and pray for the strength to survive.

Stand firm,

Stand erect,

Stand for what you believe in,

Kneel if you must to pay your respects, to symbolize your belief, to symbolize your cause and when you get up from kneeling, STAND UP like you never stood before…and MARCH ON!

SharB

#Take the Scaffolding Down