Sacramento community center to host mental health resource fair for Black men. What to expect
June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and one of Sacramento’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods is celebrating that this weekend.
Oak Park will host an “It’s OK Brotha” Black Men’s Mental Health an Resource Fair on Saturday at the Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Admission is free, and guests can attend panel discussions, research presentations and more between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The event is organized by The Sacramento Observer, the city’s only Black newspaper, as well as sponsorships from the city of Sacramento and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
According to Wilma Whitfield, the general manager for the Observer, the event is based on a six-to-seven week series written by staff writer Genoa Barrow, called Head Space.
In this series, Barrow talked with several different Black men about their experiences and perspectives on mental health within their community, as well as garnered research through her partnership with the USC Center for Health Journalism.
“So this mental health event is going to be the culmination of all her research, writing and interviews, where we will share the data with our audience,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield says she hopes for a turnout of at least 100 people.
“Mental health is not a fun topic,” she said, but especially for Black men who have the added challenge of navigating this world through a racial lens.
According to a report from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, “Suicide is the third leading cause of death among African Americans ages 15 to 24.”
The report writes that “African American men are four times more likely to die by suicide than African American women are.”
While the subject matter may be tough, organizers hope attendees can learn more about solutions as well as connect with others on their experiences.
