In honor and memory of our dear friend and fellow advocate DJ Jaffe, Dr. Fuller and Barbara Torrey created the DJ Jaffe Advocate position with the specific mission of expanding TAC’s grassroots work and reaching new supporters and families. The inaugural DJ Jaffe Advocate is Sabah Muhammad, whose focus will be on families of color affected by severe mental illness. Sabah’s goal will be to reach these underserved communities and give a platform for BIPOC families to share their unique experiences and struggles.
“Awareness with action, safe spaces, and truth and reconciliation initiatives are important for severe mental illness recovery,” says Muhammad. “They don’t, however, address the practical question of what a family like mine should do when a crisis arises. The reforms most advocacy groups are exclusively talking about to address the very real epidemic of incarceration and police shootings of people of color with severe mental illness leave my family out. And they will continue to do so until proposed solutions acknowledge that all-voluntary options exclude the sickest and most vulnerable in our communities. Caregivers and families must have a seat at the table, and together we will find a solution that doesn’t ignore this minority within a minority.”
In addition to leading events tailored to the needs and interests of BIPOC families, Sabah will be working with a producer to release an eight-episode podcast series on the experiences of Black families grappling with severe mental illness and the ways in which they are often excluded from both the broken treatment system itself and from community efforts seeking to reform it.
Read More About Sabah Muhammad
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/07/daniel-prude-death-policing-mental-illness/