This is our first newsletter and we want to mark this newsletter as a celebration of our identity, mental resilience, and emotional strength. Putting this together from scratch took way too long and we apologize for that. We will be releasing a newsletter every month towards its end.
July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month. In this Newsletter our very talented Sameera Parveen, our Marketing Manager curated many reasons why BIPOC teenagers face it hard to adjust to society and Samina Parveen takes a look back into her roots and shares a small story.
On the occasion of BIPOC mental health month. I would love to look back at my roots and where we come from. My sister and I started this magazine amidst a worldwide pandemic. It was certainly a challenge the people from the biopic community have to face. It’s definitely like standing on a stage at a young age and allowing ourselves to be exposed to criticism. Everyone I know faced this urge of hiding or shed parts of themselves to feel accepted. In our community, we are born with criticism in the form of taunts, judgment, and shame in every step we take so it’s almost like every move of yours is being watched by thousands of eyes taking notes. This causes immense trauma and pressure on young minds to be perfect even before flying. Creativity is a result of freedom and that’s a consequence of putting a blind so that you don't see those thousand eyes on you. The pandemic served us as the blind and that’s one of this is one of the reasons BIPOC teenagers find it hard to be the best version of themselves.
Now you may ask why is this month very important.
It is a celebration of our identity mental resilience and emotional strength. I am very glad to see Inertia Teens and many other organizations run by BIPOC women. We want to send much power to them to serve as an inspiration.
History
Earlier known as Minority mental health Awareness month, BIPOC Mental Health Awareness month was established by Bebe Moore Campbell in 2008 to honor and raise issues faced by black and indigenous people.
Campbell is known for tenacious mental health advocacy and the release of her New York Times best-selling novel, ``72 Hour Hold'', and her children's book ``Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry'', which both bring awareness to the plight of those with brain disorders.
Lack of representation
BIPOC mental health also varies greatly on representation. When they see more people from their community, they feel safer and more comfortable. Adolescence is the time of life in which kids perpetuate what is shown to them and often white-washed TV shows highly impact their self-esteem and set unrealistic standards for them.
In cartoons/TV shows
Children feel underrepresented when they watch their favorite cartoon or TV show casting only white people. This impacts their self-esteem and sets unrealistic standards for them.
When Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” announced the Black actress R&B singer Halle Bailey was to be cast as Ariel, Twitter was swamped with #NotMyAriel. The statement that making the cast diverse would destroy the memory of their childhood favorite princess is just an excuse to resist the necessary social changes.
In hospitals
In 2015, approximately 86% of psychologists were White while by contrast, only 2% of American Psychological Association members were Black.
Representation in therapy makes people of color less hesitant in asking for help. They might also find it easier to describe their traumas and problems as the person on the other side might be able to understand better.
In workplaces
Recruiting one or two black people in a workplace doesn’t make the company “inclusive'' or the staff diverse. Many companies think of diversity as a slogan to attract an audience and improve their social status.
Recruiting one or two black people in a workplace doesn’t make the company “inclusive'' or the staff “diverse”. Many companies think of diversity as a slogan to attract an audience and improve their social status. This makes it hard for people of color to make friends and have good relations with their colleagues.
In hospitals
In 2015, approximately 86% of psychologists were White while by contrast, only 2% of American Psychological Association members were Black.
Representation in therapy makes people of color less hesitant in asking for help. They might also find it easier to describe their traumas and problems as the person on the other side might be able to understand better.
In other news, we just opened our submissions for Issue 3! If you’re a submitter, we’ll provide a free review on your piece even if it’s not accepted!