Freedom
By Bohemian Babushka
HolaHolaHola Beautifuls! Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday and que somewhere in between the festivities you took a moment to reflect on the meaning of that celebration, and entre firecracker y costillas gave thanks to those who gave their lives for this day, both founding fathers as well as present day heroes.
Freedom. Such a powerful and potent word. On July 4, Americans celebrate the freedom of this country from English rule. It’s the day we declared our independence. To Be Free. A concept that wasn’t just about politics or free speech. To Be Free, from persecution and ridicule, to have acceptance and compassion for all, that was the vision. Lamentablemente that vision has become short and very blurry. But BB had said this wasn’t a post about politics, so she’ll leave that there.
The freedom from shame y el olvido is the topic of this post. To be seen and acknowledged for being, this too is a type of freedom. To be be oneself and not hide for fear of recrimination, discrimination. Sadly, this is true of many groups, but this is July, and in the US, besides it being the month of our liberation, it is National Minority Mental Health Month. Que Que??? Bet you didn’t know that did you? Such is the taboo, the Stigma in our culture, that even something for our benefit is unknown to most.
From the US Dept. of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health- http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/ Some freedoms y statistics we need to fight:
FREEDOM FROM LABELING AND SHAME.
-Suicide rates for Hispanic girls grade 9 -12 were 70% greater than for White girls in the same age group.
-Non Hispanic Whites received mental health treatment 2 to 1 over Hispanics.
-Minorities are less likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for their mental illness, have less access to and availability of mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of mental health care.
Information and help can be found at www.mentalhealth.gov . Unfortunately, Babushka learned first hand about our uneasiness and downright refusal to accept the reality of mental illness when my child needed help and BB found none, ni acknowledgment from mi gente. Declare Freedom from this atraso and imprisonment, for yourself, a loved one, a friend, a neighbor, our culture. Let’s help lower these statistics and #StopTheStigma. To those who pretend it doesn’t exist or try to hold us back, we can only say- JU SO FONII!!! Freedom is ours to fulfill, and with everyone’s cooperation, ya vendra.
BB2U