By Dianne Anderson

Issues of mental health and transformative justice connected community and professionals recently around staying engaged, and keeping calm despite life’s innumerable stressors.

With her three decades serving in areas of Black health, Ernesta Wright said their last virtual town hall is one of several collaborative efforts looking at how to restore balance to the community. One of their presenters, an attorney focused on transformative justice, talked about partying at the polls, and different ways to engage the community to vote.

Other aspects include inviting the Black community to get involved, even if they are unable to participate in the vote.

“We’re encouraging those who perhaps may not have citizenship status but are of African descent, that you can still be part of the promotion. Everybody can understand that this will benefit to start putting people in place to support what is necessary for our community to survive,” said Wright,  Executive Director of The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation.

Coming up, she said 30 individuals are registered for her advocacy training boot camp to be held July 9, 10 and July 13, which includes past participants, as well as new presenters, and city council representatives.

Young adults are playing key roles in helping her organization with planning, and will also participate in facilitating the event. The focus is on teaching how the community can advocate for themselves, both personally and professionally.

There is something for everyone who wants to understand the importance of city council meetings and knowing their rights.

“Go take notes, just listen and stay an hour or two [to learn] the process,” she said. “It’s interesting to know what’s happening in your city. You don’t have to say anything, just come wearing your T-shirt. Sit there, it’s still powerful.”

As part of the organization’s social justice arm, on June 30, they are also participating in the Stop the Hate effort of the Hate Prevention Network with Groundswell, where they will meet regularly, along with other ethnic groups.

“The GREEN foundation wanted to make sure that we had a group specifically for African Americans. I think it’s working really well. I’m able to meet other nonprofits that I may not have [otherwise] met,” she said.

Kelley J. Lewis said the recent town hall event was inspiring, and the community asked great questions about how to maintain emotional strength and endurance.

“You have to walk away and turn it off. Step away from the TV,” said Lewis, a marriage and family therapist, also trained in Trauma Resiliency at Emblaze Family Therapy in Carson.

Things like aromatherapy and blowing bubbles may seem simplistic, but she said it is helpful in unexpected ways.

“Some people don’t know how to breathe deep, but to blow bubbles you have to breathe deep,” she said. “It helps shift our thoughts.”

These days, the community is starting to warm up to the idea of therapy, historically the stigma has stopped the community from accessing services. Part of the reason is persistent discrimination in health, and mental health.

“Our parents or great grandparents, somebody was acting what they called ‘funny,’ and they took them away and they didn’t get them back. We have a lot of stories,” she said.

Because there were few or no Black therapists, she said the system wasn’t set up to help the community, and many people learned not to share their business and personal details.

“It didn’t feel safe,” she said. “But now there are so many more Black therapists, if you go to a therapist that’s not a good fit, then there is another Black therapist for you.”

Today, she is hoping that the community can find ways to open up, feel comfortable asking questions about therapy and mental health services, a service widely used by other cultures, but it’s basically new territory for the Black community.

With some of her cases, it’s just pointing people to resources, and assuring them there is nothing wrong with them.

She lets them know they are not alone in going through life’s challenges, and that they can succeed.

“I’ve met with a few Black men who had PTSD,” she said. “They were afraid in therapy that I was going to come down hard on them for not being able to hold a job or other things. I showed them research. It’s relieving to know you’re not a bad person. Now we can work with them.”

To learn more about the GREEN Foundation, see https://www.thegreenfoundation.net/

For more information, see www.emblazefamilytherapy.com