I Am Because We Are: Reclaiming African Culture As A Source Of Strength In Black Communities

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month). This year, Mental Health America is focusing on the theme of “Strength in Communities,” examining community-developed systems of support created to fill in gaps within traditional systems. These systems may overlook cultural and historical factors that impede BIPOC mental health.

During this webinar, Dr. Charmain Jackman will share how connecting to African values and cultural practices promotes emotional well-being in Black communities. With a focus on faith, rituals, celebrations, and activism, Dr. Jackman will discuss how community-focused cultural practices such as voudou and healing circles, and cultural values such as ubuntu and sawubona, are central to the resistance, survival, and healing of people from the African diaspora. Dr. Jackman will share how mental health professionals, community healers, media, and global movements are fostering community healing in the face of collective racial trauma. Dr. Jackman will also spotlight organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to community healing.

Join us for this 60-minute webinar where we will:

• Discuss historical and current perspectives of voudou, ubuntu, sankofa, and sawubona;
• Address how community-focused interventions are being used to reclaim African culture and identity and to address collective trauma; and
• Examine how media (such as TV shows and movies) and global movements (e.g., Year of Return) have been instrumental in bringing people from the African diaspora together.

Meet the Speaker:

Charmain F. Jackman, Ph.D., is a Harvard-trained, licensed psychologist of Barbadian heritage. Dr. Jackman has over 23 years of experience in the mental health field and is the founder and CEO of InnoPsych, Inc., an organization on a mission to change the face of therapy and to promote wellness and healing for people of color. InnoPsych, Inc., is an award-winning organization focused on increasing access to therapy through its online therapist of color directory and emotional wellness programming. For the past 10 years, Dr. Jackman has served as the Dean of Health & Wellness at Boston Arts Academy, a high school for visual and performing artists. Dr. Jackman also owns a consulting company, where she supports organizations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, adolescent development, and employee wellness.

As a changemaker, Dr. Jackman is passionate about the intersection of psychology, mental health, and diversity, equity, and inclusion and has created social impact initiatives that support community members, entrepreneurs, and mental health professionals. She has used her expertise to shape how organizations respond to and support their employees during the COVID-19 and racial violence crises. Dr. Jackman is the recipient of the City of Boston’s Black History Month 2021 Innovator of the Year Award. In 2020, Dr. Jackman was the recipient of the American Psychological Association’s 2020 PLC Diversity Award.

Dr. Jackman loves talking about mental health and is a national spokesperson for mental health and emotional wellness. She is also a media contributor and has been featured in major news outlets including NPR, Black News Channel, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

In 2021, Dr. Jackman created this video to promote positive messages of therapy in the Black community.

Learn more: www.InnoPsych.com | www.DrCharmainJackman.com. Follow: @InnoPsych | @AskDrCharmain