“Connected for Care": What BIPOC Families Should Know Before a Mental Health Crisis
- mahaparakala
- Aug 3
- 2 min read
To commemorate this month of awareness and aligning with our mission of decriminalizing mental health in the BIPOC community, we hosted an event dedicated to lived experience, sharing support resources, and empowering the community to access the support they deserve.
The event was moderated by the Executive Director of the Miles Hall Foundation, Taun Hall, and featured two panelists: Rayshell Chambers, executive director and founder of Painted Brain, and Dr. Gabrielle Jones, Licensed Psychologist, CEO, and Founder of Steady, LLC.
We opened the event by sharing the story of the Hall family and affirming the mission of The Miles Hall Foundation.
"The system is so reactive; it's not a preventative system. That is why we created the Miles Hall Foundation." - Taun Hall
Our first panelist, Rayshell Chambers, details her lived experience with her family members and her own journey. She describes the importance of peer support in decreasing stigma and isolation. Rayshell founded The Painted Brain, a community-based nonprofit that utilizies the power of art, advocacy, and connection in addressing mental health challenges.
"Peer support is: I've been where you are, and I'll walk beside you. It's about people helping you believe that recovery is possible". - Rayshell Chambers
Our second panelist, Dr. Gabrielle Jones, shares her perspective on cultural responsiveness to mental health crises and the harm that can be perpetuated by the current systems. Dr. Jones provides insight into how the BIPOC community can educate and empower themselves by knowing more about these systems and recognizing the need for culturally inclusive and safe practices in the mental health field.
"Speaking from a provider lens, our goal is to keep people safe, but when it comes to BIPOC families, we need to think through the additional implications" - Dr. Gabrielle Jones
To provide some tangible takeaways for the community, we asked both our panelists about immediate resources that families can use to receive culturally responsive mental health and wellness support.
"The work that we do is all about education and making sure people understand resources. We want to avoid police responses when they don't need to be there". - Taun Hall
Resource Guide
To help build supportive tools and connections, we've put together a downloadable guide with county-wide, state-wide, and national resources mentioned in the event and in our social media this month.
📥 [View, Download or Print the Resource Guide] The event also feature the following Q&A portion with the attendees.
If you'd like to see all the snippets in a playlist or the whole replay, it's available here on YouTube.
Community Conversations Change Lives. Conversations like this one are only possible because of the support and dedication of families and community members like you. We hope this event and other upcoming Connected for Care events in the coming months provides an opportunity to learn from experts with lived experiences, understand the support systems available to you, and empower you to feel less alone in this journey.
This event was designed to educate and prepare; it is not a substitute for crisis care.
If you or someone you love is in crisis right now, please call or text 988
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