Black History Month: Addressing mental health in black and brown communities

The Champion Center says its ok not to be ok

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — February celebrates Black History, from pivotal moments to memorializing those who inspired change and progress in the black community.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, black adults in the the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness and feeling like everything is an effort.
Despite that, only one in three black adults with mental illness receives treatment, also according to NAMI.

But those at The Champion Center in Lexington are trying to change that by helping others understand that taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of your body.

“If you haven’t came in or talked to somebody, please do. Everybody needs this. I’m a therapist with the therapist, and so if I’m a therapist that feels like I need somebody to talk to, then everybody needs somebody to talk to you. says Daisy Brown, owner and lead therapist at The Champion Center.

In the black and brown communities, the belief is that mental health conditions are a sign of personal weaknesses.

“Why would we stigmatize people for going to get their mind checked on or making sure they’re having the right viewpoint or if they’re just having a bad day? It’s like everybody needs somebody to talk to, and so we’re here to listen, and we’re here to help. Don’t look at it like the old thing up, got to be something wrong with you. If you’re going to see a therapist, it’s just like, your friends are tired of listening to you, your family don’t want to hear it anymore. Might as well have somebody that is really on your side, that is there to listen to you,” added Brown.

Daisy Brown with of The Champion Center says although the topic of mental health is still stigmatized, times are changing and people are evolving.

“Majority of my clients are African American males, which usually is my favorite day because I love entering into their world and exploring their emotions and giving them verbiage or vocabulary for their emotions,” she says.

Also according to NAMI, socioeconomic factors can make treatment options less available, in 2020, 10.4% of Black adults in the U.S. had no form of health insurance.

“We didn’t grow up being told, hey, how are you feeling today? Hey, are you okay? How are you feeling? So it’s just something that we’re working towards to get to,” added Alberto Velasquez, targeted case manager at the center.

But it’s not just catering to those in the black community and offering them therapy services, Velasquez adds that the help is for everyone, especially those in the brown community.

“So my clientele list right now for that is very small. I wish we had more Spanish speaking clients, but it’s probably because just don’t know that I’m here. And it’s a big job for me to bridge that gap that we have,” he also said.

For more information on The Champion Center, call (859) 359-8352 or click here.

The Champion Center was previously known as Remnant Counseling Center.