JANS - The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAM1) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA), Inc. have launched a new partnership to expand mental health education, awareness, and support activities on the campuses of colleges and universities and in local communities.
The partnership will enable NAMI, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, and AKA, the nation's oldest sorority founded by African American college-trained women, to prepare new volunteer leaders for the future and reach broader constituencies as part of a growing movement to address unmet mental health needs.
"Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is proud to stand with NAMI in the fight for mental health and wellness," said Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. "Our members will work to bring attention to mental illness among diverse populations with historically low utilization of mental health services."
"NAMI and AKA will stand together to provide help and hope," said NAMI Executive Director Mary Giliberti. "We are thrilled to be working with one of the nation's most distinguished service organizations to help individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. Our common mission will include eliminating fear and discrimination that too often discourage people from seeking help when they need it."
The first year of the partnership will include: * Participation in each organization's national conventions: The NAMI National Convention is scheduled for July 6-9 in San Francisco. The AKA Leadership Seminar will be held in Chicago, July 15-19.
* With NAMI's support, AKA will organize "Launching 1908 Dance Moves for NAMI," a community awareness event in downtown Chicago on July 16.
* Local NAMI Affiliates and AKA chapters across the country will come together to sponsor mental health awareness events, such as AKA/NAMI Awareness Day on April 11 and Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 4-10.
* National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July will commemorate a special connection between the two organizations. Congress established the month in 2008 in honor of the late African American novelist, Bebe Moore Campbell, who was both a NAMI member and AKA honorary member.
* AKA chapters will work with NAMI on campus clubs at universities and colleges around the country to advance education and support around mental health.
In the Metro Jackson, Mississippi area, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Rho Lambda Omega chapter and NAMI-Mississippi have been working together for several years. Since 2007, the two have collaborated on town hall meetings, mental health fairs, and awareness walks. Proceeds from Rho Lambda Omega's 2014 AKA 5K race were earmarked for agency's research and outreach programs.
On April 11, Rho Lambda Omega joined forces with thousands of Alpha Kappa Alpha women worldwide for Mental Health Awareness Day. This was an AKA
Impact Day. Chapter members watched a video featuring mental health advocate and author Terrie Williams. They also received specially prepared materials that addressed mental health issues within the black community and among black women and a NAMI button. Two sorority sisters received a copy of Williams' book, Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We 're Not Hurting. The sorority sisters wore green, the color of mental health awareness.
"We are very excited about this partnership," said Rho Lambda Omega chapter president, Sharon Bridges, Esq. "Our chapter members are dedicated to raising awareness regarding mental illness, but more importantly, we want to remove the stigma that prevents people from seeking the help they need in order to be well."
NAMI-MISS Executive Director Tamika Smith is very pleased with the partnership. "Rho Lambda Omega and NAMI have worked well together in the past," she said. "I look forward to us doing great work together via this partnership."