Suggested Readings on BIPOC Women and Mental Health
Wait…What?! Is a platform for candid discussion for the Women’s Fund community to convene on emerging issues we all face, albeit with varied challenges.
Over the summer, conversations emerged about women of color and mental health. Athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka chose to withdraw from competitions to address their own mental health issues. We wanted to continue the conversation, particularly with local women of color mental health providers.
Our October Wait…What?! will cover a variety of related topics, including:
- The importance of seeking services and integrating mental health and self-care into a regular routine
- Connections between generational trauma, grief and loss, carrying multiple responsibilities (including work and caregiving of others), anxiety, and depression
- Supporting others through their mental health and wellness journey
- Provide insight on local resources specifically for BIPOC women and gender diverse folks
- Existing barriers to seeking access to care including systemic oppression and concern for communal and familial shame
Watch the recording here:
Our Community Investments Manager, Nicole M. Young-Martin, has curated a listed of additional resources and readings on BIPOC Women and mental health:
Books
Please consider ordering these books through The Ethnic Study CoWork Café & Bookstore or Olive Tree Books-n-Voices, two local, independent bookstores owned by women of color in Springfield.
- Untold: defining moments of the uprooted by Gabrielle Deonath and Ramdeen Kamini
- Black Women’s Mental Health by Stephanie Y. Evans, Kanika Bell, and Nsenga K. Burton
- I Am Diosa: A Journey to Healing Deep, Loving Yourself, and Coming Back Home to Soul by Christine Gutierrez
- Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Woman’s Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fear by Angela Neal-Barnett
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- The Color of My Mind: Mental Health Narratives from People of Color by Dior Vargas
- Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting by Terri Williams
Articles
- 9 Books Where Women of Color Tell Their Own Stories about Mental Health | Electric Lit
- 5 Organizations that Support Black Women’s Mental Health | Essence
- 9 Books by Black Therapists to Help You Process Your Emotions by Patia Braithwaite | Self Magazine
- Suicide Among Black Girls is a Mental Health Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight | Time Magazine
Resources and Advocacy Organizations
- BIPOC Mental Health, a comprehensive list of services and online resources compiled by Augsberg University’s Center for Wellness and Counseling.
- Black Mental Health Alliance
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, includes a directory of providers and resources.
- Therapy for Black Girls, online resources specifically for Black Women.
- Therapy for LatinX, includes a directory of Latinx-identified providers.
- United we Dream, resources on how to support those who are undocumented through their mental health journey.
