Since losing her father to suicide in 2019, Camillia Harris has dedicated her life to breaking the silence around the mental health struggles Black men face.
For the past three years, Harris has traveled the country organizing conferences that challenge stigma surrounding mental health. Through her organization justUs, MH Foundation, Harris will bring the Black Men’s Mental Health Conference back to Columbus for the second consecutive year on June 21.
“Whenever you have boys that don’t cry, they become men that don’t cry,” Harris said. “And then you have men that explode, such as my father, and the reaction can be that of suicide.”
The conference will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nissan Auditorium on Mississippi University for Women’s campus. The free event will begin with an hour of light refreshments, followed by a keynote address and panel discussion.
Harris said her goal is to create space for open conversation to ensure that attendees leave with resources and practical tools to help themselves and others.
“I think knowledge is more important than anything,” Harris said. “… It is important for us to come together and talk (about) real topics and what it means to not only know about mental health resources, but to also know how to reach someone that may be in need, where to point them in the right direction and having the right words to use.”
At 11 a.m., keynote speaker Jason Gibson will take the stage to discuss the importance of speaking up about mental health struggles. Gibson, who serves as chair of the Department of History at Tougaloo College, said unspoken pain is a common burden for many of his students.
“The more you suppress your deepest feelings toward any matter, especially with the common challenges that men face on a day to day … the more it affects you internally,” Gibson said.
Gibson said he hopes the event plants the seed for long-term healing, even if it doesn’t happen overnight.
“I hope they leave empowered,” Gibson said. “… To expect someone to be healed or to be whole in one day, that’s kind of irrational, but I hope something is provoked within every man there that starts the process of becoming the best version of themselves.”
The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion featuring local men from various backgrounds. Panelists will include Rayford S. Mullins Sr., a child and adolescent therapist at Sky’s the Limit Counseling Service; John Griggs, a certified life coach; Charles L. Bailey Jr., a motivational speaker and author; Julius Kato, a doctor of cardiology and internal medicine with Baptist Medical Group and Keith Worshaim, a former Columbus police officer.
Sharon Jones, executive director of Paroled2Pride, a mentorship organization for formerly incarcerated men, has helped sponsor the event in Columbus for the past two years.
While the event is aimed toward Black men, Jones said men, women and mature children of all races are welcome to attend.
“Each community has different stresses that they deal with, and so I just want to make sure we can address what the men deal with in our culture, and be able to interact with others in harmony and peace, and make this space that we have a better place,” Jones said.
Harris said that with every conference, she hopes attendees leave feeling more educated and less alone.
“One of the biggest things, which is my standing statement, is that it’s okay to not be okay,” Harris said. “… I pray and hope as I continue this journey, and as I go into different cities and states and schools, that this effort and this initiative (will) create a healthier community.”
Following the panel discussion, the audience will be invited to participate in a brief question and answer session. While the event is free, space is limited and attendees are encouraged to register in advance at the justUs website.
For more information on the Black Men’s Mental Health Conference, go to bmmhc.com
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
