IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 538 
Supporting the goals and ideals of Bebe Moore Campbell Black, indigenous, 
and people of color (‘‘BIPOC’’) Mental Health Awareness Month in 
July 2021. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 19, 2021 
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CORREA, 
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, and Mr. 
KEATING) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of Bebe Moore Campbell 
Black, indigenous, and people of color (‘‘BIPOC’’) Men-
tal Health Awareness Month in July 2021. 
Whereas July 2021 is Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC Mental 
Health Awareness Month; 
Whereas the goals of Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC Mental 
Health Awareness Month, formerly known as ‘‘Minority 
Mental Health Awareness Month’’, are to— 
(1) recognize disparities in the incidence of mental 
health-related challenges faced by Black, indigenous, and 
people of color (referred to in this preamble as 
‘‘BIPOC’’) communities; 
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(2) raise awareness of the systemic drivers of those 
disparities; 
(3) educate patients, caregivers, and the family 
members of individuals who may be in need of care on 
the importance of recognizing the signs of mental illness, 
seeking evaluation and accepting diagnosis, receiving and 
adhering to mental health treatment, and counseling; 
(4) highlight the necessity for culturally informed 
and culturally effective mental health services in order to 
increase receptivity to treatment among communities of 
color, reducing social and cultural stigma; 
(5) underscore the need to dismantle the barriers to 
access faced by individuals who seek mental health care 
services; and 
(6) overcome and repair the mental harm and trau-
ma that are experienced by people of color and caused by 
systematic racism and racial bias; 
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic, which has disproportion-
ately impacted communities of color, is expected to have 
grave and potentially long-term mental health implica-
tions due to the traumatic stress associated with pan-
demic conditions, including stress from— 
(1) the loss of resources to meet immediate and fu-
ture needs; 
(2) grief and concerns for the safety of family and 
loved ones; 
(3) reduced social interaction and increased isolation 
and loneliness; 
(4) the stigma and xenophobia against Asian-Amer-
ican communities, including many incidents of hate dur-
ing the COVID–19 pandemic, leading to negative mental 
health outcomes; and 
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(5) lack of consideration for preexisting social-envi-
ronmental disparities when addressing the dispropor-
tionate impact of COVID–19 on communities of color; 
Whereas, even in nonpandemic times, the psychosocial stress 
of racial discrimination, including exclusion from health, 
educational, social, and economic resources, contributes 
to poorer health quality and higher rates of chronic 
health conditions for communities of color; 
Whereas BIPOC communities, already burdened by dispari-
ties in chronic illnesses like lung disease, asthma, heart 
conditions, sickle cell disease, and diabetes, disproportion-
ately suffer from the mental health disorders that are 
commonly associated with those chronic illnesses; 
Whereas environmental strains, such as poverty, unsafe 
neighborhoods, and chronic racial and ethnic discrimina-
tion, among other social determinants of health, can sig-
nificantly increase distress and the overall mental and 
emotional well-being of poor youth of color; 
Whereas an emerging body of research shows that past trau-
ma inflicted on racial and ethnic minorities has the po-
tential to affect the descendants of the survivors of that 
trauma; 
Whereas, despite the necessity of diverse scientific and health 
care workforces, as well as culturally informed and cul-
turally effective science and research, to address mental 
health disparities, including disparities in care, and dec-
ades of efforts to diversify those workforces, there con-
tinues to be a challenging pattern of continued underrep-
resentation of people of certain genders and racial and 
ethnic groups in these fields; 
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Whereas mental health services and supports often are not 
aligned with the National Standards for Culturally and 
Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health 
Care; 
Whereas the lack of linguistically appropriate mental health 
services and the lack of information about where to find 
those services decrease the likelihood that families of 
color will seek help; 
Whereas investment in linguistically appropriate mental 
health services will— 
(1) reverse the trend of families of color not seeking 
help; and 
(2) drive an increase in use of those services by peo-
ple of color who experience mental health-related chal-
lenges; 
Whereas the Office of Minority Health of the Department of 
Health and Human Services has determined that Black 
adults are 20 percent more likely than their White peers 
to report serious psychological distress; 
Whereas the suicide death rate for Black youth has risen 
from 2.55 per 100,000 in 2007 to 4.82 per 100,000 in 
2017; 
Whereas Black youth under the age of 13 are twice as likely 
as White youth of the same age group to die by suicide; 
Whereas Black males ages 5 through 11 are more likely than 
their White peers to die by suicide; 
Whereas, in 2018, 42 percent of Black adults with a serious 
mental illness received no treatment, compared with 35.9 
percent of the total adult population of the United 
States; 
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Whereas chronic underfunding of Federal treaty obligations 
for health services for Tribal Nations has contributed to 
disparate mental health outcomes for American Indians 
and Alaska Natives, who experience post-traumatic stress 
disorder more than twice as often as the general popu-
lation; 
Whereas, between 2000 and 2020, the suicide rate for Amer-
ican Indian and Alaska Native women and men increased 
by 139 percent and 71 percent, respectively, compared 
with a 33-percent increase for the total adult population 
in the United States; 
Whereas suicide is the second-leading cause of death for 
American Indian and Alaska Native youth ages 10 
through 24; 
Whereas the suicide rate for American Indian and Alaska 
Native youth is 2.5 times higher than the national aver-
age and the highest across all ethnic and racial groups; 
Whereas Latino adults and children face barriers to accessing 
mental health services, including a lack of insurance, the 
high cost of health services, low wages, poor transpor-
tation, work stress, and immigration factors; 
Whereas research shows that, in the Hispanic population, 
older adults and youth are more susceptible than other 
Hispanic adults to mental distress relating to immigra-
tion and acculturation; 
Whereas, in 2018, Hispanics were 50 percent less likely to 
have received mental health treatment as compared to 
non-Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas fewer treatment and prevention services reach His-
panics than other racial or ethnic groups in the United 
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States due to the lack of professionals being equipped to 
support culturally specific challenges; 
Whereas, in 2019, suicide was the leading cause of death for 
Asian/Pacific Islanders ages 15 through 24; 
Whereas, in 2015, Asian adults with any mental illness had 
the lowest rates of use of health services, prescription 
medication, and outpatient services among all racial 
groups; 
Whereas, in 2018, Asians were 60 percent less likely to have 
received mental health treatment as compared to non- 
Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas Native Hawaiian youth in Hawaii have significantly 
higher suicide rates than other adolescents; 
Whereas, in 2019, suicide was the leading cause of death for 
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders ages 15 through 24; 
Whereas Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders face greater 
stigma than is faced by the general population of the 
United States in accessing mental health care; 
Whereas, in 2019, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were 
three times less likely to receive mental health services or 
to receive prescription medications for mental health 
treatment as compared to non-Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas the first BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month 
was designated in honor of the late Bebe Moore Camp-
bell, who was an American author, journalist, teacher, 
and mental health advocate who worked tirelessly to shed 
light on the mental health needs of the Black community 
and other underrepresented communities; 
Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell struggled to support her 
daughter who battled with mental illness and a system 
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that prevented her daughter from getting help and sup-
port; 
Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell founded NAMI-Inglewood in 
a predominately Black neighborhood to create a space 
that was safe for Black people to talk about mental 
health concerns; 
Whereas, throughout her time as an advocate, Bebe Moore 
Campbell made her way to Washington, DC, and on June 
2, 2008, Congress formally recognized Bebe Moore 
Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness 
Month to bring awareness to the unique struggles that 
underrepresented groups face regarding mental illness in 
the United States; 
Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell showed great dedication and 
commitment to moving communities to— 
(1) support mental wellness through effective treat-
ment options; and 
(2) increase access to mental health treatment and 
services; and 
Whereas communities of color have shown deep mental health 
resiliency in the face of decades and centuries of trauma 
and discrimination, underscoring the efficacy and impor-
tance of resilience-focused and culturally and contextually 
grounded prevention and early intervention strategies in 
mental health: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 
the goals and ideals of Bebe Moore Campbell BIPOC Men-
tal Health Awareness Month, which include bringing at-
tention to the mental health disparities faced by commu-
nities of color in the United States, such as American In-
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dians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Blacks, Latinos, 
and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. 
Æ 
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