On May 11, the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) organized a rally that attracted a crowd of about a thousand people to Dilworth Plaza, at the northwest corner of Philadelphia’s City Hall. The purpose of the rally was to send a message that people with mental illnesses have a right to recover and to have fully funded programs and services that help them achieve that goal. We were also demanding an end to discrimination and stigma, and that the voices of consumers and family members be heard!
The rally was held in May in celebration of Mental Health Month and there was definitely celebration in the air! Although the forecast had been rain, there was nothing but sunshine. And there were box lunches and free T-shirts and, as the crowd began to gather at around 11:30 a.m., great music by William D. Carter, III, Ministries, which had many of us clapping and dancing in the aisles – or rather, in the plaza!
Dr. Stephen Weinstein, MHASP’s board chair, led off by reading a proclamation from Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell in honor of Mental Health Month. To quote briefly from the proclamation, the Governor asked “mental health consumers, service providers, citizen advocacy groups, and the families of people with mental illness to continue their work to promote recovery for those with mental illnesses by educating the community, improving the quality of care, and overcoming the stigma associated with mental illnesses.” Dr. Weinstein then relinquished the stage to Pastor Ruth Jordan of the Heart of Truth Ministries, who gave a moving invocation.
Joseph Rogers, MHASP’s president and CEO, did a great job of MC’ing and whipping up the crowd. And the speakers were equally inspiring! “Working together, we can make sure everyone [who has mental illness] recovers,” said the eloquent keynote speaker, Dr. Arthur C. Evans, director of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services. Evans spoke of our being on the cutting edge of the recovery movement, adding: “This isn’t an abstract concept; there are things we can do to make that happen.” He spoke of the importance of integrating people with mental illnesses into the community, concluding, “We can do better.”
Longtime, nationally acclaimed community activist Hikmah Gardiner of MHASP spoke of our being “comrades in the struggle,” and exhorted us not to forget older adults, “because we were here before you were and, if it weren’t for us, y’all wouldn’t be here.” I’m sure Hikmah wouldn’t mind my sharing the fact that she is 77 years old and still going strong!
Richard Askew, III, a consumer who volunteers at MHASP, spoke movingly of the need to end “the stigma and shame attached to mental illness.” “Let our voices reverberate throughout downtown Philadelphia,” he said. He shared with us that his sister had killed herself 27 years ago, and added, “There are times I thought about suicide and giving up.” But, he concluded, “Don’t give up; there is hope!”
Next was Sharon (known as Shay to her friends) Lampkin, the mother of
Jevon K. Lampkin, the 23-year-old man who was shot and killed by police at 8th and Market Streets in Philadelphia in July 2005, a month after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After describing Jevon as a wonderful son and brother who was a talented musician and had a great sense of humor, she said, “Education, resources and training must be made available to prevent tragedies similar to the one that happened to my son and countless others like him.” She pledged herself to the struggle: “Let’s work together to eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and work toward the appropriate funding, treatment and services so those affected can achieve recovery.”
Shay said that Jevon was always helping people, and she was determined to make something good come out of his death: “It is my intention to work alongside the mental health agencies in Philadelphia as well as in New Jersey to help improve the quality of life for people affected with mental illness and for their families.” I could see people around me with tears in their eyes as they contemplated Shay’s strength and courage in the face of her loss.
Shay was followed by Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project H.O.M.E., which is devoted to helping people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Sister Mary, a nationally renowned and much-honored advocate for homeless people with mental illnesses, does not match my vision of a “nun” – she wears casual street clothes instead of a habit, has a strong Philly accent, and is nothing if not irreverent. She asked the crowd, “Who is more ‘mental’ – the person on the street, or the person who walks by the person on the street?” Great point! Talking about the importance of affordable housing, employment, and healthcare for people with mental illnesses, she urged the crowd to vote, adding, “The solution lies with all of us.”
Next up was Carol Caruso, president of NAMI PA in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Carol talked about her experience in adopting an eight-year-old boy with a mental health history. She said that, since she and her husband both worked in the mental health arena, she thought they would be able to get help for him fairly easily. “We were wrong,” she said. Carol talked of the importance of fighting discrimination and stigma by telling our stories to the world. She concluded with a statement of rights, including: “We have the right to live a fully integrated life in the community,” without shame or guilt or stigma, and with no one warehoused in state institutions.
The last speaker was Kristin Shipler, director of civic engagement of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, whose mission is to strengthen Latino communities through social, economic, education, and health services; leadership development; and advocacy. Congreso primarily serves eastern North Philadelphia, where most of Philadelphia’s Latino population lives. Kristin noted that 25 percent of Latinos in Philadelphia have a diagnosed mental health condition – a higher percentage than the one-in-five statistic usually cited for Americans as a whole. She had the crowd chanting in a call-and-response fashion as she cried, “Se puede; se puede?” and the crowd answered, “Si! Se puede!” (Idiomatically translated, this means “Can we?” “Yes! We can!”)
I have to admit that my favorite part of the rally was at the end, as Anthony Edwards, a staff member of MHASP, led everyone in singing “This Little Light of Mine.” The words had been tweaked to include a verse about recovery: “All about recovery, I’m gonna let it shine!” And we did!
Posted by Susan Rogers
