Community members enjoyed lessons about rest and relaxation at the Black Women’s Policy Center’s Health and Wellness Brunch.

The center hosted the brunch as an educational opportunity for attendees to learn about mental health and the importance of self-care. The theme of the event, held June 18 at the Triveni Center in Monroeville, was “Rest and Reset.”

The brunch was one of many events that the center has hosted in order to reach the goals highlighted in its Black Women’s Policy Agenda. The idea came after a survey administered by the center revealed that many women feel as if mental health has been a challenge to maintain in today’s social climate.

“Black women are the backbone of the Black community and typically put everything and everybody before themselves. The Health and Wellness Brunch is providing them with an opportunity to practice self-care, which is vital to our overall health and well-being,” said Rochelle Jackson, founder and director of the Black Women’s Policy Center.

“With this brunch, we want the women to have some good food and fellowship with other women, all while being enriched with knowledge and tools for maintaining good mental health. Most importantly, we are striving to remove the stigma attached to mental health and normalize it as a part of overall health and well-being.”

Participants followed a schedule that included a panel discussion led by Black female therapists who discussed the difference between mental health and mental illness. They covered topics such as self-care, trauma and grief. Each panel member was personally selected by Jackson.

“I had worked with some of the panelists in the past,” said Jackson. “They’re all social workers and therapists. I’ve seen their work in the past and knew them to be very intentional about self-care. Not only are they experienced in their fields, but they know why they’re doing the work they do. They’re very compassionate and empathetic.”

There was also a yoga presentation led by Felicia Savage Friedman, founder of YogaRoots On Location. The exercise focused on settling the mind and feeling at home in the body.

After yoga, the attendees viewed a presentation by guest speaker Lydia Glaize, a minister and community leader in the Atlanta area. She is an elected official of the City of Fairburn and is currently running for state representative in Georgia’s 67th District.

“I wanted to make sure that the keynote speaker was somebody different and somebody who could connect with the audience,” said Jackson. “I wanted people to walk away and feel like they learned something, feel changed, feel lighter. I wanted someone who could give the audience new tools. She knocked our socks off.”

Throughout the event, those in attendance were given self-care tips and access to free health screenings. They also had the opportunity to network with professionals and other guests. Jackson intends to make the gathering an annual event.

The Black Women’s Policy Center, which has locations in McKeesport and Downtown Pittsburgh, began in 2020 and is focused on building collective power among Black women, advocating for their needs and advancing policy to achieve racial and gender equality.

The center is intent on ensuring that Black women and girls thrive in the Greater Pittsburgh region and across the country. Multiple events are planned for the coming months, including group therapy sessions and advocacy boot camps.

For more information, visit https://www.blackwomenspolicycenter.org/.

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