Dear AmericanTowns.com,

Does it sometimes feel as though there aren't enough months for all the holidays and awareness campaigns you care about? It definitely feels that way to us this month as July does double-duty!

July is not only Disability Pride Month, celebrating the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26th, but also Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Who was Bebe Moore Campbell?

Bebe Moore Campbell was an American author, journalist, and commentator who passionately advocated for the de-stigmatization of mental illness and creation of resources specifically for people of color and other under-served communities.

"Stigma is one of the main reasons why people with mental health problems don't seek treatment or take their medication," Campbell once said. "People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some don't want to be perceived as having yet another deficit."

Inspired by her own family's experience confronting mental illness, Campbell's writings, including her novel 72 Hour Hold and children's book Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, frequently discussed the impacts of racism, mental health and the enduring strength of culture, community and connections. In addition to her writings and radio commentaries, Campbell co-founded NAMI Urban Los Angeles (formerly NAMI-Inglewood) to bring available mental health resources into predominately low-income and nonwhite neighborhoods.

Campbell's Work Honored by Congress

In 2005, with encouragement from her longtime friend and publisher Linda Wharton-Boyd, Campbell began campaigning for a dedicated awareness month for better mental health information and services for communities of color. Three years later, this vision became reality on June 2, 2008 when July was officially declared Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Sadly, Campbell did not live to see the awareness month she'd been working towards become reality. She passed away in November of 2006 from brain cancer. She was 56 years old.

Lasting Legacy

At WCRC, we resonate with Bebe Moore Campbell's effort to bring culturally-informed care and resources to mental health. We understand that patients, whether facing a mental health or cancer diagnosis, are more than just their illness. And that treatment is more successful when it incorporates patient challenges—such as racism and cultural stigmas—that fall outside the traditional boundaries of healthcare.

As July becomes more and more commonly referred to as "BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month," we wanted to take a moment to honor the woman whose work laid the groundwork, Bebe Moore Campbell.

Best wishes,
Anne Browne
Development Officer

As mentioned earlier, July is also Disability Pride Month and we want to take a moment to honor another fierce champion for a more inclusive world, Judy Huemann. Widely known as "the mother of the Disability Rights Movements," Judy was instrumental in passing legislation protecting the rights and dignity of people with disabilities, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She recently passed away on March 4th, 2023 at the age of 75.

Caregivers & Loved Ones: Sustain
Yourself Through Support

Cancer doesn't just have mental health impacts on the person diagnosed. Caregivers have their own emotional and mental challenges. To be the best support for a family member or friend going through cancer, it's important for caregivers to prioritize their own mental health. We've called in our resident expert Robin Criner, LCSW to share her advice.

Caring for someone with cancer can be one of the hardest, most emotionally draining, and rewarding things you can do for someone. But it's important to also pay attention to your own self-care as well. Below are a few tips and strategies for managing your mental health while caregiving.

It's important to connect with others in similar situations while you're caregiving. Find community that you can connect with. One suggestion is to follow up with hospital social workers for community referrals, support and resources that offer services to caregivers.

Don't isolate, as this can heighten feelings of being alone and cause sadness. Remember, it's important to engage with others. Connect with supportive friends, take a fun class, and get out and socialize.

Schedule respite time away from caregiving responsibilities to practice self-care. Often when we're stressed, we don't make time to do the activities that help manage our stress. Engage in vigorous exercise, practice good sleep hygiene habits to get the maximum benefits from sleep, monitor your dietary intake, and if necessary, follow up with your health care professional as needed.

Looking for more mental health support as a caregiver? Robin facilitates a weekly support group for Caregivers & Loved Ones on Mondays from 4 pm to 5:30 pm. To see a calendar of all our support groups and their meeting times, click here.

New Additions to WCRC's Staff!

We are thrilled to welcome three new faces to the WCRC staff! Doma Bowie will be primarily working with the African American community as a WCRC Multicultural Patient Navigator. Elena Ortiz joins us as our Program Administrator to help keep our services running smoothly. And Julia Riad will be getting the word out about WCRC's suite of supportive services as our new Community Outreach Ambassador. Read on and get to know a little about each of our new staff members.

Supporter Spotlights

Thank You, Safeway Foundation!

Women's Cancer Resource Center was recently awarded a grant from The Safeway Foundation in support of our Wellness Program! Their support allows us to offer a wide array of classes and workshops that focus on the holistic health of our clients. WCRC Wellness workshops include cooking clubs, movement-based classes, reading groups, and expressive arts workshops, as well as special offerings like the recent Mindfulness Seminar Series with Akhila Health. To see our current schedule of classes open to East Bay cancer patients and survivors,

visit wcrc.org/events.

Thank you, Safeway Foundation, for supporting our work of making sure that these complementary wellness classes and activities are available to all cancer patients, free of charge!

Thank you, Women's Golf Association of the Berkeley Country Club!

We are thrilled to receive the support of the Women's Golf Association and Berkeley Country Club members through their annual Breast Cancer Tournament! All Berkeley Country Club members are invited to enjoy a day on the course for a cause, or simply donate in support of our free programs and services.

We are so grateful to be part of a wonderful,

yearly tradition!

In Case You Missed It!

GiveOUT Day Special Presentation featuring Dr. Mitch Lunn of The PRIDE Study

In honor of GiveOUT Day, we hosted a small gathering at our Center where we heard from WCRC Board Member Darlene DeManincor, WCRC staff member Dolores Moorehead, as well as our special guest Dr. Mitch Lunn who joined us from Stanford University School of Medicine to share his work as co-director of the PRIDE Study and PRIDEnet.

We recorded the evening's presentation and posted it to our YouTube channel so everyone can access to this important information on care disparities impacting the LGBTQIA+ community.

The JanRae Community Art Gallery
PRIDE 2023 Group Exhibition

WCRC is delighted to have the incredible work of 10 queer artists currently on display at the JanRae Community Art Gallery. We closed out Pride Month with an opening reception on Friday, June 30th where community members could mix and mingle while taking in the beautiful pieces by:
Xequina Maria Berber
Susan Liroff
Leslie Mah
Sandy Morris
Laura Rifkin
Jennifer Senlio
Ava Shannon
Rome Smith
Griselda Tijero
Cassandra Tucker

You can come see the group exhibition for yourself at our Center by making an appointment, weekdays between 10 am and 4 pm. Simply email [email protected] to let us know when you'd like to stop by!

This show runs through August 31st, in person or via our

virtual gallery at wcrc.org/art-gallery.