Riverside city college bmhm

1. B+MH+M
A circle-based artistic practice
centering tenderness,
Black Mental Health & healing
Created by Natalie Patterson for Art With Impact
BLACK MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

2. Meet Your Facilitator
Natalie Patterson, she/her/QUEEN
Based in Los Angeles
Mental Health Advocate
Poet
Teaching artist
Humanist
Learn more at: Natalieispoetry.com
IG: @natalieispoetry

3. Our Mission
Art With Impact promotes mental wellness by creating space for young
people to learn and connect through art and media.
Our Values
Everyone has a mental health story. Talking about it shouldn’t be taboo.
Artwithimpact.org @artwithimpact

4. Brought to you by:

5. EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS ON THE FAR LEFT OF YOUR SCREEN
THREE WAYS TO ENGAGE
#1 THE CHATBOX
#2 YOUR VOICE
#3 POLLS
#1 SHARED NOTES
#2 TECH SUPPORT
TWO WAYS TO GET SUPPORT
(CHAT OR VOICE- WE LIKE THEM BOTH THE SAME)

6. • You are whole, beautiful, resilient and worthy of support.
• Everyone has mental health
• Mental health is deeply personal – YOU are the expert on your own
experience
• We're online - this is public, shared space
• We are recording this session for internal training and evaluation purposes
• Evaluation (and a chance to enter to win one of three $25 Amazon gift
cards!)
• Please take care of yourself however you need, including asking for help
KEEP IN MIND

7. POLL
PLEASE SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
A STUDENT B STAFF
C COMMUNITY
MEMBER
D SOMEONE ELSE

8. POLL
WHERE ARE YOU?
A CALIFORNIA B ANOTHER STATE
C ANOTHER COUNTRY D ANOTHER PLANET

9. AWI’S INTENTION AND REASON FOR THIS WORKSHOP
○ To be a place of refuge for Black students
○ To see and hear you collectively & individually
○ To equip you with tools to help you heal & thrive
○ To acknowledge your lived experience
○ To center and lift up Black people
○ To share resources

10. T H E P L A N
Define &
contextualize
Black mental
health
Container
& toolkit
building
Council:
Talking
circle
Write a
poem
Share Resources

11. This space is designed to cultivate tenderness and honor the full
expression of the black experience. Transphobia, Racism, Heterosexism,
Ageism, Ableism have no place here. ALL black people are welcome.
Allies are welcome and any attempts to decentralize Black folks will be
compassionately redirected.
African American
Trans
Non Binary
African
Caribbean
Disabled
Queer
Nerdy/Cool
Masculin
e/Femme
Fat & large bodies
Mixed
Unhoused
What do we mean by Black?

12. Mental Health
Our emotional, psychological,
and social well-being. It affects
how we think, feel, and act.
EVERYONE HAS MENTAL HEALTH
Define &
contextualize
Black mental
health

13. CAN YOU RELATE OR NAH?
This is me at least 3-4x/week.
Yes!
To me it feels like releasing all
the toxins like negativity
Yes
I am still dealing with anger
issues, so this seems like a
blowout.
I have , its like I can't express my
feelings unless I'm calm . even
though I want to scream .
Expressing feelings is
something that truly isn't
allowed in my family ngl. I'm
seen as aggressive if I get
upset

14. Tsoku Maela

15. CHATBOX
WHAT ARE SOME
LIFE STRESSORS
SPECIFIC TO THE
BLACK EXPERIENCE?

16. MH Life Stressors
● Racism
● Poverty
● Violence
● Discrimination
● Divorce
● Food insecurity
● First generation
● Religion/culture
● Unstable housing
● Death
● Educational inequity
● Health discrimination
● Gender inequity
● Sexual violence
● Police violence
● Prison Industrial Complex
● Trauma
Black
Mental
Health
is
unique

17. POLL
WHAT DOES HEARING ABOUT THE VARIOUS LIFE STRESSORS
FEEL LIKE?
A It’s nothing new B Ugh, terrible
C Worried
E Unbothered
D Angry

18. WE COME FROM A LINEAGE OF HEALERS

19. We are descendants of HEALERS
From herbalists, to cooks, to cleaners,
to preachers to tarot card readers,
therapists, poets, artists, backroom
healers, prayers and more.
We honor their work and continue
their legacy
WHO DO YOU WANT TO CALL INTO THIS
SPACE TO GUIDE AND HELP WITH OUR
HEALING?
Madam CJ Walker John Henry Jordan Lena Richard
Hair Care/millionaire First black doctor First Martha Stewart
Dr Maya Angelou Toni Morrison James Baldwin
Poet Writer Novelist/ Activist
Clifford and Audrey Green
Mariah, Diego, and Shireen
Mrs. Romaine-Washington
Martha and Marsha-- black
neighbors always took me in
My mom, who is no longer
with us.

20. A Mental Health Moment
How are you, really?
Free
Stressed, burnout,
overworked
Hopeful
I am angry hot and sweaty,
my AC is broken, and so is
my life a lil bit.
A feeling of loss. Miserable.
I am okay. Not good, not
horrible. I am overworked
and anxious.

21. TOOLS FOR OUR WELLNESS TOOLKIT
Container
& toolkit
building

22. Emotional Framework
EVERYONE
HAS
IMMANENT
VALUE
FEELING
ARE VALID
EVEN IF THE
IDEAS INFORMING
THEM ARE
INACCURATE
Created by BEAM

23. THE FEELINGS WHEEL

24. 8 DIMENSIONS OF SELF CARE
WHICH DO YOU PRIORITIZE
MOST AND LEAST?
I proritize emotive and need
more support with nature /
eating
Prioritize: Relational Need to
give more attention to how I
contribute
I focus a lot on Systematic
and Aptitudinal
Need to work on health and
especially exercise

26. A Mindful Minute
● Find a comfortable
position
● Lower your shoulders
● Relax your jaw
● Breathe on purpose
● Again
● One more time

27. WE HAVE DEFINED MH, EXPLORED LIFE STRESSORS,
BUILT UP OUR TOOL KIT.
NOW, LET’S PRACTICE TENDERNESS, BOUNDARIES
AND SELF CARE
In a moment, I’ll need 8 volunteers!

28. The 4 Guiding
Principles of
Council
1. Listen from the heart
2. Speak from the heart
3. Be SPONTANEOUS
4. Be LEAN
Speak or pass when it is your turn,
listen deeply in all other times

29. FISHBOWL STYLE
Now is when I need those
volunteers!
You will need to unmute and
talk.

30. TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE
STEP 1 : CLICK JOIN AUDIO STEP 2: TEST YOUR AUDIO
(AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN)

31. ROUND 1 (SPEED ROUND)
IN ONE SENTENCE
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE THING
ABOUT BEING BLACK?

32. ROUND 2:
SHARE ABOUT…
THE ORIGIN OR HISTORY OF YOUR NAME
AMAHLE m & f Southern
African, Zulu
Means "the beautiful ones"
in Zulu.
EKUNDAYO f & m Western
African, Yoruba
Means "sorrow becomes joy"
in Yoruba.

33. EVERYONE PONDER
THINK ABOUT
THE NAME(S) YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED THAT YOU
DIDN’T APPRECIATE

34. WHAT SHOULD THE WORLD CALL YOU?
PONDER

35. I am Natalie
You can call me Goddess
Or Queen
You can call me sweet love
Or just love
You can call me brilliant or beauty
You can call me wind or timeless
You can call me darling, if we tight like that or
beloved sister if we have just met
You should name me kindly or don’t call me at all.
“I had to chant my own name to
manifest myself”
-Christa Bell, Poet

36. ACROSTIC POEM
Rename yourself
Redefine your name
● Pick the name or names you will
answer to.
● Write the word or phrase down the
left or center of your page.
● Create a poem to define or redefine
yourself
I am Beautiful
Some say Enamoring
Always open to Listen to the
Overlooked. You can catch me
Voraciously seeking wisdom
Enveloped in art, ear hustling the way
wind dances with trees
Deem me dope. Spelled B-e-l-o-v-ed.

37. WITH THE KNOWING THAT EXPRESSION IS KEY TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
WILL YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF?

38. WHAT ARE SOME WAYS WE CAN PRACTICE SELF CARE?
(THINGS WE CAN DO)
I honestly could be eating better and cleaning my
environment
Eating your favorite meal
Get rid of clutter, physical and mental.
I have been journaling, drinking water, eating well. I need
to go outside more and enjoy nature more.
I’ve been waiting to spend more time with nature and
meditating
better saving

40. BLACK MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Ways to get support
TEXT: Text ‘NAMI’ to 741-741
CALL : 1-800-950-NAMI
ONLINE: warmline.org
WWW.BEAM.COMMUNITY
NAMI.ORG
RIVERSIDE CITY COLLEGE
Student Health &
Psychological Services

41. CLOSING
REFLECTIONS
I HEARD SOMEONE SAY…
I WITNESSED…
I’m taking ______ away from this
workshop
VOICE OR CHATBOX

42. AWI: CONTINUED CONNECTIONS
Exclusive community events and spaces
Arts-based discussion trainings
Interview and discussion opportunities
Weekly art + wellness prompts
Click the link in the chat to learn more!

43. Please fill out the evaluation!
You can enter for a chance to win one of three $25 Amazon gift cards!
If you are receiving credit for attending this workshop, at the end of the
evaluation, you’ll be prompted to add your information to a sign-in sheet.
Evaluation responses will remain separate and anonymous.
@artwithimpact
info@artwithimpact.org

44. Black + Mental Health + Matters
Ambassadors Focus Group!