Portland Observer, March 18, 1982 Page 11
Each year since her husband died of cancer six
years ago Hazel Williams (left, and Mary Harrison
(right, have sponsored a Memorial Tea in honor of
Lucius Williams for the benefit of the American
Cancer Society. Here the two sponsors check final
details with Barbara Herbold, Residential Chair-
man for the Multnomah County Unit of ACS. The
annual event will be held Sunday, March 21, from
1 to 5 pm, at 930 N.E. Holland. There is no admis
sion, but an opportunity for a silver donation is of
fered.
To your mental health
“ What is mental health?”
by Jeanne Cohen, M. S. W.
“ What is mental health?” This is
a question I recently posed to some
Black residents of Northeast Port
land. Some of the responses sound
ed like this:
“ Does that mean when you have
a mind problem?”
“ Mental health is being able to
meet a crisis head on and survive in
reasonable shape to meet the next
__ _ ♦*
one.
“ ...fe e lin g good about your
self.”
“ . . . having a third party to help
solve problems of families.”
“ . . . keeping the mind relaxed if
getting too pressured.”
There are two main ideas that
came out in my questioning people
about mental health. The first one
being a certain discom fort in dis
cussing the issue. As one person
stated: “ When 1 think of m ental
health I think of mental illness, then
I don’t want to think about it any
more.” People worry, “ Am 1 okay?
If I talk about it too much maybe I’ll
find out that I’m not okay.” Yet the
other main theme in these quotes is
a really positive one. People having
a strong idea of surviving, coping,
feeling good about themselves, solv
ing problems, making time to relax,
and taking a certain amount of con
trol over their mental health. These
people are talking about things we
do well and naturally.
When we take these positive ideas
about m aintaining m ental health
and put them in the context of these
hard times we are living in, they be
come even more crucial. There are
few jobs, social programs are being
cut to pieces and inflation is terrible.
Maintaining mental health is going
to come down to being able to sur
vive. To “ still carry on when
things get to be too much.”
Black folk have learned survival
the hard way. It is not news to them
that they must look to themselves
and each other for strength and sup
port. The larger society has never
protected and provided for its non
white members in the same way it
has for the majority. So through the
years many minority peoples have
created their own support systems,
survival skills and mechanisms. For
example, a Black single mother in
Northeast Portland is surviving and
experiencing a certain high quality
of life because of her family, neigh
bors, friends and church. She
doesn’t have to worry about her
children being accepted by the com
munity. This same acceptance goes
p
for old folks in the neighborhood. It
is not a comm on occurrence for
Black families to send their elderly
to nursing homes to die because they
know how to take care of their own.
Flexibility in being able to share
and switch family responsibilities is
going to be an im portant survival
technique in the future. Maintaining
mental health means feeling “ I’m
okay and my family thinks I’m okay
whether I am here taking care of the
kids or out w orking.” This holds
true for both men and women, and
is something Black folks have been
doing for years.
Maintaining a role in the family
and in the community is essential to
mental health. The church is a real
core of life in this neighborhood and
plays an im portant role in m ain
taining mental health. In the church
we find spiritual energy and
strength. The church is able to bring
people together, giving them a social
network as well as a place to relax
and find some peace. The social
clubs are also a place where one gets
a sense of belongingness, a place to
relieve tension, and a chance to have
a good tim e. From these sources,
Blacks obtain stability, health, and
a sense of well-being.
M aintaining m ental health in
these hard times means “ let’s keep
on doing what we’re doing.” Let’s
keep our families tight, let’s keep on
helping and sharing with each other.
Let’s keep on going to church and to
social clubs. Let’s keep on visiting
each other, cooking together, relax
ing and enjoying good times to
gether. They are all positive su r
vival skills and we are going to need
them even more as tim es get
tougher. Let’s remember that each
of us is not alone in this uphill strug
gle to survive, and let’s not blame
ourselves for all our hardships. It is
important to focus on our strengths
which we always have and are there
for us to depend on in these hard
times. To quote a young Portland
resident, “ Mental health is the same
as a health b o d y ...a healthy
mind.”
Ms. Cohen is a social worker ano
a member o f the crisis team o f the
North/Northeast Community Men
tal Health Center. I f you have ques
tions or would like to talk with
som eone, call the N /N E C om
munity Mental Health Center 239-
887!. The Center also o ffe rs 24-
hour, 7-days-a- week crisis service
that can be reached at 239-8871. The
Center is open 8:30 am-8 pm M on
day thru Friday, and fro m 8 am-5
pm on Saturdays.
coring Visit
< Charlene's Beauty Salon
Hair conditioning
Hair cutting & Hair styling
2732 N.E. Union Ave.
Tue«. thru fh .
284-4311
10:30 am to 6 pm
S pecializing in:
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I-
M M ?