NAACP Evansville hosts ‘Mental Health Matters’ community fair

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The NAACP Evansville Branch hosted a community mental health fair and forum at the C.K. Newsome Center on Saturday.

NAACP officials say the COVID-19 pandemic made long-standing mental and emotional health issues worse. Organization leaders say they recognized that mental health was a growing issue in the Evansville community, and wanted to become part of the solution.

Saturday’s event featured guided discussions and connected people with local counselors, therapists and fellow community members.

“The NAACP thought that maybe we should start switching our focus to more mental health, so I suggested to Dr. Strain, who is my mental health chairperson, that maybe we move in this direction,” Rev. Gerald Arnold, president of the NAACP Evansville Branch said. “Even the mayor had talked about allocating $30 million to this cause, because it’s a very serious situation.”

Rev. Arnold says the NAACP doesn’t have all the answers when it comes to mental health, so it was important for them to bring in professionals to help address the issue and break down stigmas that have long been attached to mental health.

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