RTNT Episode 39 - Black Mental Health Week

Radio Totally Normal Toronto

Welcome to the March show of Radio Totally Normal Toronto on CJRU 1280 AM and cjru.ca. Belke is your host for this March 9th, 2022 episode number 39.

*Radio Totally Normal Toronto, or RTNT for short, is a voice for community mental health; produced by the members and staff of Progress Place, a mental wellness clubhouse in downtown Toronto.*

Today we are going to speak on Black Mental Health Week. We’re going to connect with staff and members of Progress Place and the Community HUB to their discussion on the topic. We recorded the interview over Zoom.

From the Black Mental Health Week Website:

"TAIBU Community Health Centre, in partnership with the City of Toronto, hosted the inaugural Black Mental Health Day in March, 2020, citing the Toronto Black community’s demand to end 400 years of oppression and the ongoing mental health impact of persistent, systemic anti-Black racism in all settings.

Partly due to high-profile incidents of anti-Black racism in 2020, a groundswell of momentum is slowly improving awareness and strengthening the demand from communities across the globe, to improve understanding and to initiate action to end anti-Black racism and the negative mental health impact it causes where Black communities live, work and play."

"Rates of depressive symptoms among Black individuals are nearly six times the 12-month prevalence reported for the general population in Canada," Jude Mary Cenat, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, said in a press release.

A satellite program of Progress Place, Community Place Hub is a health access hub providing programs and services in Weston and Mount Dennis communities. To access them, please call 416-323-1429.

*Disclaimer: All recordings done for RTNT were using the Zoom platform to maintain social distancing through these times.

This episode features perspectives and information that are not directly from RTNT. We are NOT health professionals who specialize in Covid-19 or any other physical health matters. If you have any questions about Covid-19 please visit the website for either Toronto Public Health or Public Health Ontario or contact your doctor directly for any health questions or concerns.

This episode may contain conversations around suicide and suicide prevention. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or the Gerstein Crisis Centre (if you’re in Toronto) at [phone]*

*If you are looking for a community to be a part of your Mental Health recovery; please visit a Clubhouse near you. Clubhouse International reaches over 100,000 people living with mental illness per year in 320+ clubhouses in 34 countries. Please visit clubhouseinternational.org to find a clubhouse in your community.*

To learn more about RTNT or listen to previous episodes please check out radiototallynormaltoronto.org. You can stream RTNT on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast if you search up Radio Totally Normal Toronto.

If you’d like to learn more about Progress Place you can:

Visit progressplace.org

@progressplaceclubhouse on Instagram & Facebook

@Progress_Place on Twitter

Thanks again for listening to us and stay tuned for our new episode two months from now!