Webinar Series: Women’s Rights are Fundamental to Mental and Physical Health
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Keynote Address: At the Intersection of Women’s Health and Equity
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Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette’s passion for social justice was fueled by her personal experiences and influences as a child. As a youth, she experienced delays in diagnosing asthma, and faced challenges accessing and navigating the health care system. These experiences gave Everette first-hand knowledge of the importance of health and health care access. This, combined with her admiration for social justice trailblazers such as Thurgood Marshall, Barbara Jordan, and Sandra Day O’Conner, inspired Everette to dedicate her life’s work toward eradicating health care inequities through advocacy and policy.
Everette has built a successful career in public policy, particularly health care policy, and advocacy in the non-profit, state, and private sectors. Before taking the helm of Health Equity Solutions (HES), she served as the Managing Director of Federal Government Affairs with the American Diabetes Association, where she provided strategic leadership on policy and advocacy initiatives with the White House, several federal agencies, and Congress, which led to important victories for people with and at risk for diabetes. Prior to this, Everette worked as a government relations consultant with Drinker, Biddle, and Reath, LLC, where she represented the interests of several nonprofit health care organizations on issues such as health reform, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal appropriations. Everette has also worked for the Service Employees International Union, RESI, the State of Maryland, and the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation.
Everette earned her doctorate in Sociology from American University with a concentration in race, gender, and social justice as it relates to social policy. She received her Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Center of Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (popularly known as Virginia Tech) and holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies from the same institution.
Everette is an alumna of the Masters Series for Distinguished Leaders and the National Urban Fellows America’s Leaders of Change program. She is a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Association of Black Sociologists, and serves on the board for the Washington, DC Metropolitan affiliate of Girls, Inc.
Women’s Mental Health, Racism, and Working in Mental Health Advocacy
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Mitzy Sky (formerly Corrine Taylor) shares her journey through writing, spoken-word-storytelling, and videography. She’s consciously unlearning messages that she unconsciously learned that hindered her from living wholeheartedly. She is a published author in the anthology Imagining Monsters. The Good Men Project, Mad in America, and The Inner-City News has published her work. She is the creator of the Beyond the Story© project and Blogger/Vlogger at MitzySky.com. She currently works at Advocacy Unlimited, in advocacy education, where she develops and facilitates the compassionate activism program.
Benita Toussaint is currently Chair of the Human Relations Commission for the City of Hartford and serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc. Previously, she served as Chair of Catchment Area 23, Co-Chair of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Board Member of NAMI Connecticut, and has been honored with several awards and recognitions, most recently from Scouting USA for her work supporting human rights.
Jennifer Henry is the Advocacy & Education Engagement Specialist at Advocacy Unlimited, Inc
Taylor C. Ford, MSW is the Statewide Youth & Family Coordinator at FAVOR Inc. and a member of Katal.
Lydia Velez- Herrera(Lilly) is President and CEO of Lilly sin Barreras/Lilly without Barriers LLC. After a brain injury and four long years of recovery. Lydia took on the mission to provide work shops trainings on her strategies to leave with her disability. She provides one on one advocacy for clients who can not afford a lawyer and do not qualify for Legal Services.
She established a radio station and TV show to provide information and interview guest who have remove barriers. Both channels are in English and Spanish.
Kathy Flaherty is the Executive Director at the Connecticut Legal Rights Project and is a lifelong Connecticut resident who has lived at the intersection of mental health and the law for 30 years.
Suffrage and Feminist Jurisprudence: 100 Years of Women’s Activism
Brittany Mancini is in her third year of law school at Quinnipiac University School of Law where she is the Part-Time Vice President of the Student Bar Association and a member of the Women’s Law Society. She received a M.A. in Criminal Justice from Boston University and a B.A. in Justice and Law Administration from Western Connecticut State University. Brittany also works full time as an administrative assistance for Comprehensive Neuropsychological Services. When Brittany is not working or studying she enjoys traveling, outdoor activities, and spending time with her four-year-old son, Benjamin.
Learning the Tools of Mindfulness When We Need It Most: Building Resilience in Difficult Times
Tracey Sondik is a licensed clinical psychologist, E-RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, certified C-IAYT yoga therapist, certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction trainer, and iRest teacher. She has spent most of her professional career working in inpatient and outpatient behavioral health settings She has authored several publications book chapters around holistic behavioral treatment for different mental health conditions, yoga for addiction, and is currently writing a book on yin yoga and mental health that is set to be published in 2020. She created and co-chairs the State of Connecticut State-Wide Integrative Medicine Collaborative dedicated to the use of holistic treatments for behavioral services throughout the state of Connecticut. Tracey is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University Department of Psychiatry, and adjunct faculty member at University of Hartford Graduate School of Professional Psychology in Hartford, CT and Maryland University of Integrative Health Master’s of Science Yoga Therapy program in Laurel, Maryland.
Cultural Humility: A Brave Space Workshop
Kamora Le’Ella Herrington is a mother first, in all of the ways that a mother is. She is the owner and operator or Kamora’s Cultural Corner and is an active Cultural Humility presenter and educator who began her formal career as a teacher for the City of Hartford’s Early Learning Centers in the early 90’s. Through the years she has worked with numerous organizations and groups committed to marginalized communities, most recently as the Director of Youth Programming and Mentoring at True Colors. Inc. where she ran a mentoring program for Queer youth in out of home care for 15 years and is a proud and vocal advocate for Queer youth. Kamora is a member of the National Black Justice Coalition’s (NBJC) Leadership Advisory Council, a founding member of CT Black Women and the Chair of the City of Hartford’s LGBTQ+ Commission.
Over the years Kamora has been honored as a person committed to supporting and nurturing humans, most recently as a 2019 recipient of the 100 Women of Color Award; she is also very proud to have been awarded the 2016 Association for Experiential Education Person in Charge of Unlocking Potential (PICCOUP) award. Her personal life mission includes, “creating spaces where families are free to love their children” which is the guiding principal of all of her work.
Perinatal Mental Health from a Social Justice Perspective: An Introduction to Postpartum Support International
Whitley Mingo, MSW and Earth’s Natural Touch certified doula is a maternal child health social worker, birth doula and childbirth educator in Hartford County. Prior to her work as a doula, Whitley provided perinatal outreach and parent education to pregnant and postpartum families at Saint Francis Hospital and was the clinical supervisor for an early childhood home visiting program at ECHN’s Family Development Center. Whitley is a dedicated advocate for families of color and her work addresses disparities in pregnancy, birth and postpartum outcomes. After attending the PSI CT perinatal support group facilitator training, Whitley developed and provides a free perinatal support group for BIPOC families in the Hartford area whose babies have had NICU intervention.
www.nubeingdoulaservices.com
Jennifer is a policy practice social worker specializing in maternal and child mental health and transition to parenthood. She is a parent educator at UConn Health Parenting leading mother-baby social groups and teaching infant massage to parents and grandparents. Jennifer is a coordinator and trainer for the Office of Early Childhood Mind over Mood initiative which links mothers in home visiting programs statewide with perinatal mental health treatment in their homes. Jennifer is co-founder of the Connecticut Chapter of Postpartum Support International (PSI CT). She is on the board of directors of PSI CT and the Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health. Jennifer is a PSI Coordinator, a volunteer accepting texts, calls and emails from mothers, family members and providers seeking resources and support for maternal mental health complications. Jennifer has led numerous trainings statewide on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. She co-authored a Child Health and Development IMPACT brief on addressing PMADs in the pediatric setting. She lives in Avon with her husband and two children ages 10 and 15.
Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, and Gender Role: Understanding How Stereotypes Impact Women’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
ANDREA IGER DUARTE, LCSW, MPH. Ms. Duarte is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Public Health Professional who received her Masters Degrees from the University of Connecticut and has over 25 years of experience in substance abuse and suicide prevention, and mental health promotion. Ms. Duarte is a Behavioral Health Program Manager in the Prevention and Health Promotion Division of the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Office of the Commissioner. She oversees federal and statewide initiatives and contracts, is the Suicide Prevention Director, and Employee Assistance Program Liaison. Ms. Duarte is a member of many statewide committees, a founding member of the CT Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, has served as the Co-Chair of the CT Suicide Advisory Board since January 2012, and is the 2017 recipient of the CT Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest Award.
Kathleen Chapman, Ph.D.
Dr. Chapman is a licensed clinical psychologist working in a DMHAS community mental health center, River Valley Services, in the position of Quality Management Director and is in part time private practice. She received her doctorate from the University of Connecticut with a research interest in how gender role stereotypes influence the perception and treatment of women with substance abuse and mental health needs. She is also a member of the Board of the Connecticut Psychological Association, as Representative for Public Interest, and a member of the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board. She provides training on suicide prevention in treatment and community settings across the state, and is involved in developing core competencies in suicide prevention for treatment providers. She believes that knowledge and openness about suicide, and the use of evidence based assessment and intervention, empowers us in ending suicide.
Chronic Stress, Trauma, and Perinatal Mental Health: Equity and Care Disparities for Marginalized Women
Recording for webinar on August 19.
Destiny Printz Pereira received a dual B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 2013 in Psychology and African-American Studies. Upon graduation, she worked for four years as a Project Manager at the Yale School of Medicine and Veterans Health Administration. Destiny is currently a 4th year clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Connecticut. She is also a Health Policy Research Scholar with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Destiny’s research and clinical work aims to address disparities in chronic stress and trauma in marginalized populations, and the resulting mental and physical health impact across the lifetime. She is primarily interested in building coping and resilience in families of color, low-income, and mothers. Her current research focuses on perinatal disorders, the intergenerational transmission of trauma, racial discrimination, and chronic pain.
Strive to Win: The Long Struggle for Suffrage Revisited
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Passcode: 2C7ss6C+
Transcript here
Brittney Yancy is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at Goodwin University. Her research focuses on 20th century US social movements, urban radicalism, critical race theory, women’s activism, and black women’s political and intellectual history. Professor Yancy has published with Oxford University Press and Greenwood Press, and her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library Grant, Andrew W. Mellow Foundation, Social Science Research Council, the National Council of Black Studies, and the Connecticut Humanities. Her honors include being selected as one of the 100 Women of Color in Hartford, UConn Women of Color Award, and a host of awards from the National Council of Black Studies and the University of Connecticut. She belongs to several professional organizations, including the American Historians Association, National Council of Black Studies, and the Association for the Study of African American History and Culture.
Professor Yancy is an intersectional scholar-activist and committed to fighting for a gender-inclusive movement for racial justice. In 2018, she was appointed as the Greater Hartford Ambassador to the United State of Women, and recently chaired the state-wide summit on gender equity, Galvanize Connecticut. In 2019, Professor Yancy was appointed to the Board of Connecticut’s State Education Resource Center, and currently serves on Steering Committee for the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., entering 19 years of service, and a member of several community-based organizations in the Greater Hartford area. Professor Yancy holds a B.A. in History from Hampton University and an M.A. in History from the University of Connecticut. This year, Professor Yancy will complete her doctoral degree in 20th century US History from the University of Connecticut.