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NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a variety of free online BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) resources, community-focused classes and support groups for adults and young adults living with a mental illness, their families, friends, partners and parents. 

Black adults are more likely to experience sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness than white adults, according to a press release. Suicide rates for Indigenous youth are over double. Asian American adults are less likely to have received mental health treatment. 

For Latin American immigrants, migration can contribute to depression, suicide and stress. Despite these and other needs, BIPOC communities frequently remain underserved in mental health research and unable to access care. Systemic inequities, implicit biases and discrimination contribute to ongoing disparities for these populations.

From noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, NAMI Minnesota will offer the class “Finding Your Power” to address what it means to navigate wellness in a colonized society. Participants will use personal storytelling to engage with a survivor with complex PTSD, anxiety and depression. They will also learn tools like body scans and gentle movement to process trauma. 

Find a complete listing of classes and resources for multicultural communities by going to namimn.org and clicking the “Education and Public Awareness” tab or going  to https://namimn.org/education-and-public-awareness/. 

It includes resources in Spanish.

The support groups help individuals and families learn coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences. They include an African American support group meeting on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, an Asian support group meeting on the first and third Sundays of each month from 3:30 to 5:00 PM, and two general BIPOC support groups on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, and the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Biracial and bicultural people are welcome.

Find a complete listing of our peer-led online connection support groups for people in BIPOC communities who live with mental illness by going to namimn.org and clicking on “Support Groups” or going straight to https://namimn.org/support/nami-minnesota-support-groups/ and click on “Online BIPOC Focused Connection Support Groups.”