National Alliance on Mental Illness

Exploring Mental Health Effects of COVID-19 on African Americans

As Black History Month 2022 winds down, I find myself doing a mental assessment regarding how much progress we have truly made regarding addressing health disparities, especially as it relates to mental health, which now has everyone carrying more awareness and possibly less stigma.

Empire Star Taraji Henson Speaks on Suicide and Mental Health on Capitol Hill

“It breaks my heart to know that 5-year-old children are contemplating life and death, I just…I’m sorry. That one is tough for me. So, I’m here to appeal to you, because this is a national crisis. When I hear of kids going into bathrooms, cutting themselves, you’re supposed to feel safe in school,” Henson told the members of Congress and those in the audience in a hearing room on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Harris, Ocasio-Cortez Introduce Bill to Provide People with Criminal Records A Fair Chance at Housing

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) on Wednesday introduced the Fair Chance at Housing Act of 2019, legislation to remove barriers to obtaining federal housing assistance for individuals with criminal records and their families. The proposal is a comprehensive reform of the eviction and screening policies so individuals with a criminal history have a fair chance at housing assistance.

Harris, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Limit Use of Solitary Confinement

U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) last week introduced legislation to reduce the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) use of solitary confinement and improve conditions for inmates separated from the general prison population.