May 2021 CMGMH Update:
Greetings CMGMH Friends & Colleagues,

This month, in keeping with Asian American Heritage Month, our conversation is on the AAPI experience with a greater focus on the successes and fundamental contributions of Asian Americans throughout our history. May is more than AAPI Heritage Month, however, and given the mission of William James College I would be remiss to ignore Mental Health Awareness Month. As such, today's newsletter will celebrate both of these critical topics as best as it can.

Below you will find recommendations for books, highlights of AAPI excellence, information on Mental Health Awareness Month, and tools for mental health awareness. I encourage you to work through both sections of this newsletter and, though there was much more that could have been added to this newsletter, I hope you learn something about both AAPI Heritage and Mental Health.


All the Best,

Rebekah Drew
CMGMH Program Coordinator
AmeriCorps VISTA Member
AAPI Heritage Month
Recommended Reading:
Asia Society at Home has "compiled a carefully curated list
of contemporary fiction books about the Asian and Asian American experience. The list features titles for ages 0-18.
We've gathered stories that we hope will spark your child's interest in the people, history, experience, and food of Asia!" (Asia Society)
"To help anyone looking to deepen their own understanding, we put together [this list] of 15 books on the topic that those experts recommend. In the tradition of our reading lists, most of the books come recommended by at least two people." (New York Mag)
"In our newest online article, Dr. Monisha Bajaj identifies common stereotypes that harm AAPI students—and she suggests texts that can be used to counter them. Highlighting books for elementary and middle-grade readers, Bajaj recommends stories educators can use today to celebrate AAPI identity and history with all their students." (Learning for Justice)
Everything I Never Told You:
Celeste Ng
"Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . .

So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every part...

"A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another."
A History of Excellence:
Erika Lee is the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants who entered the United States through both Angel Island and Ellis Island. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she graduated from Tufts University and received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. She teaches American History and Asian American Studies at the University of Minnesota, where she is also a Regents Professor, the Rudolph J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History, and Director of the Immigration History Research Center.
"America for Americans: A History of
Xenophobia in the United States"

The United States is known as a nation of immigrants. But it is also a nation of xenophobia. In America for Americans, Erika Lee shows that an irrational fear, hatred, and hostility toward immigrants has been a defining feature of our nation from the colonial era to the Trump era. Benjamin Franklin ridiculed Germans for their "strange and foreign ways." Americans' anxiety over Irish Catholics turned xenophobia into a national political movement. Chinese immigrants were excluded, Japanese incarcerated, and Mexicans deported.

Today, Americans fear Muslims, Latinos, and the so-called browning of America. Forcing us to confront this history, Lee explains how xenophobia works, why it has endured, and how it threatens America. Now updated with an afterword reflecting on how the coronavirus pandemic turbocharged xenophobia, America for Americans is an urgent spur to action for any concerned citizen.
The Asian American Psychological Association:

The AAPA was co-founded by Chinese-American brothers, Derald Sue and Stanley Sue, in 1972. "Sue, along with his brother, and fellow psychologist, Dr. Stanley Sue wanted to emphasize the importance of understanding the culture of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, making sure that they too received attention and accurate mental health services. In 1972, Sue co-founded the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) with his brother Stanley Sue. Both brothers felt there was a need for others to understand the experience of Asian-Americans and this was the beginning" (APA)
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team:

"A segregated Japanese American unit, is remembered today for its brave actions in World War II. Despite the odds, the 442nd’s actions distinguished them as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the US military."
Mental Health Awareness Month:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

"You Are Not Alone

For 2021’s Mental Health Awareness Month NAMI will continue to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone.” We will use this time to focus on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay through NAMI’s blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events.

Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives — a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle."
2021 Mental Health Month Toolkit:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people of all ages. Now, more than ever, it is critical to reduce the stigma around mental health struggles, because that stigma often prevents individuals from seeking help.

In 2021, we will continue with our theme of Tools 2 Thrive, providing practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase their resiliency regardless of their personal situation.

Our toolkit includes sample materials for communications and social media as well as printable handouts on the following topics:
  • Adapting after trauma and stress
  • Dealing with anger and frustration
  • Getting out of thinking traps
  • Processing big changes
  • Taking time for yourself
  • Radical acceptance
The Green Ribbon:
There is a saying: "April Showers bring May flowers"

This statement may or may not be true depending on the year. For a more definite sighting for May, at least for the last 40 years or so, one need only look for the sudden increase in green ribbons displayed around your neighborhood and worn by your friends.

As many of you know, the green ribbon is used to raise Mental Health Awareness throughout the year. What you may not know is why green? There are some who say that the green ribbon was once used to identify "insane" patients in hospitals and others who claim that it is "the color of mental health representing hope, strength, support, and encouragement for sufferers." (International OCD Foundation) Though no one seems 100% sure.

No matter its origins, the green ribbon stands now as the symbol for Mental Health Awareness and the hope for a better future for everyone currently battling mental illness.
Upcoming CMGMH Events:




All CMGMH End of the Year Event

Thursday, June 10th
6 - 7 pm
Zoom

Join us as we celebrate the end of what has been an eventful term, to say the least. There will be live performances, music, and dancing!

A Zoom link and further information will be coming soon.


GBH's Asian American and Pacific Islander Event


Thursday, May 13th
6-7:15pm EDT
Zoom

Dr. Catherine Vuky will be one of the panelists on GBH's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month event. This forum will focus on the rising violence against Asian Americans. Over the past year, incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans have been rising at an alarming rate. The panel of experts will participate in a roundtable discussion exploring the history of racism faced by Asian Americans and sharing steps that individuals can take to become allies and advocates in support of local Asian American populations to combat racism.

The event is free and open to the public. Register at the link below.
Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health
1 Wells Avenue
Newton, MA 02459
617-327-6777