Political Quotes

“I would like to also acknowledge the work that another Member of Congress, Max Rose, does in mental health related to veterans. We know so many of those veterans are, in fact, African American, coming back home after having served this country, facing already racial disparities, facing issues of race in America, as well as the trauma of what they have been through in serving us. We are grateful for that support to those veterans so that they can sustain themselves, get back to being productive in this country. I want to thank the gentleman for that work that he has done. But I just want to close with letting people know about some statistics and then giving them a charge. According to the American Psychiatric Association, African Americans are less likely to receive guideline-consistent care, less frequently included in research, and more likely to use emergency rooms or primary care rather than mental health specialists. Only one in three African Americans who need mental healthcare receive it. Plaguing issues of poverty, mass incarceration, and financial hardship have increased mental illness and suicide in the African American community. I just want to give people a charge: Start the conversation about mental health with your peers. Show compassion. Do not be judgmental. Your language matters. Advocate, if not for yourself, for your family, for your community.…”