May 2024 Newsletter
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Community:
I am so inspired by the work we’ve been carrying out at FIERCE! Staff, partners, and community members have been coming together in full force to learn, create, and grow together in powerful ways.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, and that’s our major focus for this newsletter. From Life Coaching for Latinas to Maternal Mental Health, we want to ensure our community has access to an abundance of information. We have also collected helpful resources as we prepare for Men’s Health Month, which takes place in June.
I invite you to explore what FIERCE has been up to lately and encourage you to take part in what we have to offer to our Contra Costa families!
In Community,
Sheryl Lane
Executive Director
FIERCE Highlights
Black Village Network
The Black Village Network (BVN) Love Your Block Event on Earth Day was a great success. FIERCE Advocates convenes BVN, and it organized the park revitalization event.
BVN participants, neighbors, and volunteers showcased the power of people coming together to positively impact a Richmond community space. The day was filled with fun and work to beautify and repair a local park, which included painting equipment, landscaping, and Zumba dancing.
The Humphrey Playlot in Richmond now stands as a testament to our collective efforts, a vibrant space for all to enjoy.
Bay Area Coalition for Education Justice
The BACEJ (Bay Area Coalition for Education Justice) completed its spring fellowship and hosted a graduation on April 27th.
FIERCE Advocates and Coleman Advocates, co-convenors of BACEJ, hosted the fellowship and partnered with parents to listen, learn, and discuss the importance of their voice and decision-making roles in school site budgeting to collectively ensure that students and families thrive.
Unleashing The Power of Her
Stay tuned to the full public release of our book, Unleashing the Power of Her: From Overcoming Stuck to Creating Legacy.
It’s a compilation of stories from participants of our Black Woman’s Sanctuary and other Black women who, with raw honesty and moving testimony, share their journeys of persevering and learning to believe in themselves while celebrating their unique qualities and unleashing their innate power.
Life Coaching For Latinas
National Latina Mental Health Awareness Week occurs every May.
Why is this week important? According to Latina Professionals, “Mental health is a critical issue that affects the well-being of all individuals, including Latinas. However, the Latina community often faces unique challenges that can make accessing mental health services difficult. These challenges include language barriers, cultural stigma, lack of insurance coverage, and limited access to culturally responsive care.”
Mental Health America has also shared that “there is a perception in Latinx/Hispanic communities, especially among older people, that discussing problems with mental health can create embarrassment and shame for the family, resulting in fewer people seeking treatment.”
We asked one of our FIERCE Advocates Life Coaches to share the importance of supporting Latina mental health.
An Interview with
Lupita Villalobos,
FIERCE Advocates Life Coach
Lupita is committed to learning about mental health and its impact on the community.
Her experiences in a legislative day, certifications in NAMI De Familia A Familia, and her journey in Mujer, Sauld, Y Liderazgo, and Family Development have contributed to her self-empowerment and passion, and interest in women’s empowerment and community involvement.
1) Why is it important to support mental health in general, and especially with Latinas?
“Supporting mental health is very essential in the life of human beings, since we are always going through difficult situations, unbalanced emotions, stress, anxiety, and depression, which can lead to a lack of mental control and can often be fatal if the right support does not exist.
Supporting Latino people is important because of what I know about my community as a Latina. There are many traumas, damage from our ancestors, and cultures, and limiting beliefs that have confused the mind and led to a mental disorder. Many times, a disorder can be genetic, and caused by traumas that they have experienced.”
2) What is the role of a FIERCE Advocates Life Coach?
“The role of life coaching at FIERCE Advocate is to help the client focus on their goals and dreams. When they want to develop themselves personally, the Coach provides them with compassion, listens without judging, has empathy, and provides them with a safe and reliable place where they can feel comfortable speaking without any fear.
The coach works with clients in one-on-one sessions to help them find a transformational, healthier, and more balanced life that will lead them to achieve their desired goals.”
3) If someone is unsure about life coaching, what advice would you give them?
“In our Latino community, there are many limiting beliefs about these types of programs that help with mental health.
I invite you to give yourself the opportunity to discover how working with a Transformational Life Coach can change your life, take you on a path of healing, and help you achieve goals that you set for yourself. These goals can be physical, emotional, mental, work-related, spiritual, with your family, and with your community.
Remember that it is your time to open your wings to continue growing as a person; doing so will take us to a world that is a better place.”
At FIERCE Advocates, Black and Latinx residents receive accessible, no-cost, culturally competent 1-1 life coaching from well-trained mentors and certified coaches from the local community, like Lupita.
We also host Women’s Sanctuary groups! Women join our Black Women’s and Latina groups to heal, decompress, share information and build community. The environment is supportive and peaceful for those seeking wellness in their lives.
For more information about these Health & Wellness programs, contact Shukura Lattier at slattier@fierceadvocates.org.
Holistic Health For Men
With June around the corner, we are highlighting the importance of men’s health. While taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health should be a priority, research shows that men find this particularly challenging.
The overall mortality rate is 41% higher for men than women, and it’s higher for men for 8 out of 10 leading causes of death—including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.quote, or to talk about important news.
31% of men suffer depression in their lifetime and 9% of men have daily feelings of depression or anxiety. But only 1/4 talk to a mental health professional, and only 1/3 take medication.
[Source: Indiana University School of Medicine | Men’s Health Month: Five things to know]
Men’s Health Month this June is all about setting goals and making appointments with healthcare professionals. It’s also about taking advantage of community resources, because no one has to tackle health challenges alone.
According to Lifespan, “Social connection is essential to our health and well-being, and an increasing number of Americans report loneliness and social isolation. Research shows that people who experience loneliness and isolation are at increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression and anxiety.”
Holding Space: Men’s Sanctuary
Here’s where we come in -
FIERCE hosts Holding Space: Men's Sanctuary every month!
Holding Space helps men tackle goal setting, accountability, and leadership development alongside other men of color. This freeing environment helps men of all ages adopt a holistic (physical, mental, social) approach to health.
Below are some topics that Holding Space has explored:
The importance of education
How do we get the youth to trust? Where did we go wrong as leaders?
How to handle anger (conflict resolution tips and tools)
Why is knowing & understanding history important?
What does authenticity mean to you?
For more information on Holding Space, contact Shukura Lattier at slattier@fierceadvocates.org.
A Spotlight On World Maternal Health
World Maternal Mental Health Day takes place around the globe on the first Wednesday of May each year. It’s a day where activists, academics, clinicians, and people with lived experience come together to educate and advocate for improvements in Maternal Mental Health.
Here at FIERCE, we deeply understand the importance of this conversation, but we take it a step further to focus on Black Maternal Health.
Education is one of the first major steps toward change.
Here are some important statistics:
Almost 40% of Black mothers and birthing people experience maternal mental health conditions.
Black women are one of the most under-treated groups for depression in the U.S.
Discrimination, racism, and inequities in the maternity care system greatly increase the risk for maternal mental health disorders for Black women.
75% of women impacted by maternal mental health conditions remain untreated, increasing the risk of long-term negative impacts on mothers, babies, and families.
Higher rates of trauma exposure, combined with being 3-4 times more likely to experience dangerous complications during birth, significantly increase the risk of maternal mental health disorders, including birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, for Black women.
Learn more about Maternal Mental Health through these resources:
While seeing these numbers can be overwhelming, we recognize that FIERCE Advocates is part of the solution.
One of the many ways we address Black Maternal Mental Health is through our CoCo Doulas program.
How does our CoCo Doulas team incorporate mental health training to support Black moms?
CoCo Doulas are trained and certified in maternal mental health and screen for mental health utilizing a PHQ-4: Questionnaire for Anxiety and Depression and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.
Clients receive referrals to additional resources such as emergency housing, mental health care, and other social services when needed. These services are vital for Black families to address stressors driven by structural racism and to improve the social determinants of health.
To learn more about the FIERCE Advocates CoCo Doulas, visit our website today.
What’s Happening At FIERCE?
There are many exciting opportunities to participate in FIERCE programs & events!
You may have already seen our new monthly calendar of events that will now be sent out at the start of each month. Be sure to keep an eye out for that email so you can register for upcoming programs!
All of our events & programs can also be found on our website: Upcoming Events