Local foundation host mental health conference at the W
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The month of June is set aside each year as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
The justUs Mental Health Foundation hosted a black men’s mental health conference at the W, to show people that it is okay to not be okay, and to show people that there are resources available for those who deal with mental health.
At the conference, several different speakers spoke about how to handle stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses.
The conference also offered free resources for those who attended.
The Founder of the Justus organization, Camilia Harris, said the goal of the mental health conference is to shine a light on mental health in the black community while providing a safe space for black men to find information.
“Today marked the fifth year that my father completed a suicide, a murder suicide to be exact,” Camilia Harris said. “So I actually have transitioned my pain into my purpose. So I created this black mental health conference for men to actually feel good and feel comfortable about reaching a place where they can share their feelings or express how they may be feeling, so I created it off the loss of my father to suicide.”
“Just for people to understand and know about mental health,” Camilia Harris said. “Everyone doesn’t know what mental health is, is it an issue, is it a concern, is it a diagnosis? I think before you can sort all these things about what you should do and can do, it’s important to make sure everyone knows what it is.”
“I know how I grew up,” Jason Gibson said. “I know some of the things I experienced, and how much it would have benefited me to have older brothers in my life. People who are in my circles who spoke life into me to let me know that it is okay to cry, and not saying that boys don’t cry. I grew up in that type of household. I appreciate it to an extent, but I didn’t have much balance. So things like this at this stage in my life, I consider them one of the greatest honors in my life.”
The event was held at the W, and this was the second annual black men’s mental health conference.
