Black Minds Matter: Fundraiser reaches £500,000
Two friends from Bristol, Agnes Mwakatuma, 26, and Annie Nash, 29, launched the Black Minds Matter campaign on June 1, a week after the killing of George Floyd.
The campaign follows the huge mental health impact on black Britons as a result of both the Covid-19 pandemic and police brutality in the U.S.
The duo set a goal in mind to raise money - and awareness - to provide 12-week-long rounds of therapy for some black people in the UK who are struggling with their mental health.
Within just three days, there was funding for 24 rounds of therapy. A month later, the pair had raised enough funds to support 340 rounds of therapy for black Britons in need of help.
The current figure of £500,000 in donations will fund 12 weeks of therapy for a staggering 720 people. Mwakatuma and Nash say they "can't quite believe" the number of people and organisations that have stepped in to show support through promotion of the campaign and with donations.
With more than 1,000 people requesting this form of help throughout the fundraising period, the need for access to this support is evident.
Distressing events that continue to affect members of the BAME community disproportionately to the rest of the population, such as the polarised financial and physical impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak and the unjust killing of black people in the U.S., bring out many different emotions and feelings, including unprocessed trauma patterns, amongst the black community.
The Black Minds Matter campaign is on track to achieve its three clear goals: to connect black people with certified black therapists, to improve mental health resources for the black community through the NHS, and to tackle to the stigma surrounding mental health in the black community.
Similar to Britain's police force and judicial system, roles with mental health services that are occupied by black and minority ethnic individuals are highly unbalanced. There is a severe underrepresentation of British BAME therapists in the UK - this is problematic not only on a diversity level but also that a black therapist is more likely to correctly diagnose a black patient's condition than if a white therapist was to carry out the therapy.
Discussing the matter, Mwukatuma said: "There has always been a need for an initiative that encourages black individuals to seek out therapy by black therapists".
If you want to learn more about the Black Minds Matter campaign or are looking to donate, please visit their website for further details.