Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. tackles mental health

The auxiliary group Youth Leadership Institute participants assisted with this event.

The empowerment fair sought to break the stigma around mental health illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The fair also highlighted the problems associated with perinatal mental health.

“As mental health awareness helps reduce the stigma around mental health issues, our sorority feels the need to host more events in our community that will improve understanding of mental health illnesses and remove barriers to successfully navigate these illnesses,” said Tracy Golden, president of the Nu Tau Omega chapter.

Speakers at the empowerment fair were Nakisha Randolph, a mental health counselor; Ladovia Washington, a perinatal social worker, and representatives of Valiant Achieving Leaders, Inc., which is an organization that provides services and resources to develop disenfranchised communities, businesses and educational institutions.

Some of the topics the speakers covered included “Knowing the Difference in Mental Health and Mental Illness,” “Understanding the Effects of Perinatal Depression,” “Suffering from Mental Health in Silence” and “Prioritizing One’s Health.”

“If you are not prioritizing your own needs, everything is going to be affected by that. You will not be able to be productive in any aspect of your life,” Randolph said.

The Nu Tau Omega and Eta Nu chapters hope the empowerment fair is one of the first of many events in the Denmark community that will raise more awareness on mental health.

Organizers thanked McMillan Entertainment, which provided the relaxation music, and the community agencies and businesses that were vendors.

“We look forward to engaging in more events that will improve the mental well-being of our community members. We anticipate the numbers will continue to increase and others will join with us as we continue to provide our community with the knowledge and power to maintain good mental health,” said Antigone Solomon, Empowering Our Families chairman.