Chirlane McCray pictured next to her husband mayor Bill de Blasio
Over the last few years, the nation has witnessed that a lack of care about mental health could result in the lives of many lost. Talking about mental health isn’t always easy and in African-American communities, there is usually a stigma attached to it.
However, New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray wants to turn that stigma around and make people more aware of mental health in the community through her new program called Brothers Thrive, according to Blavity.
Her new initiative wants to make sure that Black men in the city of New York and elsewhere can receive mental health care and that their communities and circles could be educated about mental health care.
McCray’s program wants to give resources to Black men suffering from mental illnesses by providing safe places for treatment. To do this she’s partnered with organizations like 100 Black Men and the following historically Black fraternities: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
In an interview with Blavity, McCray explains that partnering with these organizations creates a connection and relationships among Black men.
“They’ve been around for a long time, they do good work and they have incredible networks,” explained McCray. “I’m not a brother, I love them, but I’m not a brother. It takes a brother to reach a brother in the most effective way. I’m very pleased they have taken this up. They all as individual organizations do so much good, but collectively they can do even more…”
In this new program, Black male volunteers will start the conversation about mental health and be of support to many men across the boroughs. In addition, leaders in the Brothers Thrive program will encourage Black men to get training in Mental Health First Aid. A program designed to teach people how to identify and address individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues.
“This is very personal for me, I know from my life growing up that mental health is really critical to everything that we do,” said McCray. “…We cannot live, love, learn, study – we can’t do anything without good mental health. We already have so many hardships. This one can be so devastating.”
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(Source: Blavity)
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
