As part of its celebration and recognition of Black History Month, Coahoma Community College hosted a panel discussion, enlightening participants on the imperative upkeep of mental, economic, and physical wellness.
The online event, which focused on the ‘Health and Wellness of the Black Community in the Mississippi Delta,’ provided attendees with quick nuggets that would lead to one’s multi-faceted health.
Each panelist targeted a particular subject area relevant to CCC’s Black History Month theme, ‘Black Health in Three Dimensions: Mind, Body, and Spirit.’ Shonna Tillman spoke explicitly on mental health; Tillman founded Operation #iAM, the result of her fight against depression; it was created to prevent others from dealing with emotional trauma in silence and allows individuals to share their story anonymously at www.operationiam.com. Jason Anderson’s discussion pieces alluded to financial fitness. The Check Conversations CEO is currently enrolled in the University of Memphis pursuing a Master of Business Administration in finance. Lastly, Evelyn Washington, who is studying to receive a doctoral degree in public health and serves as a board member for the Mississippi Sickle Cell Foundation, stressed physical health.
“My son was diagnosed [with sickle cell] in 1986; I thought I was the only person who had that problem because I didn’t see anybody looking like me and experiencing the same situation,” Washington explained. It wasn’t until 1994, when she began speaking publicly about the disease, that she learned she was not the only one seeing symptoms of the rare blood disorder.
As a psychology major at Mississippi State, Tillman tapped into the mental health realm. Her Counseling class required her to attend a counseling session that resolved a three-year battle with depression and anxiety. When moderator Jeremy Pittman asked the guests to offer attendees resources helpful in achieving healthy lifestyles, Tillman ended up sharing a link to her self-curated list of motivating songs in the chatbox.
“One of the things that I do that sets the tone for the day is I have an affirmation playlist,” Tillman said. “So, I have all my favorite music that gets me hyped and excited for the day, and I listen to it every single day, and before I go to bed, I journal. I go ahead and write out my thoughts, talk about my day, and then I pray at the end, so I try to make sure I do all three of those things to keep myself centered.”
“Find something you love doing and try to do it every day, constantly, and it can definitely change your mood,” Tillman added, lending advice.
Anderson introduced himself to Zoom participants by screen-sharing a PowerPoint presentation on the 401(k) program and more related information. The Grenada, Miss. native also pointed to a correlation between financial instability and mental health using a list of celebrities. He advised audience members to begin building wealth by investing in stocks. In his personal experience, he sought to enhance his six-figure earnings.
“Most of us probably grew up in middle income or impoverished families, and I was able to see my family grow from poverty to middle income, but when you graduate and have money for the first time, most of us, we spend it,” said Anderson.
“We know as African Americans, we already have traumas that we deal with, and financial disparities just hurt that even more...Even if you put in $100 a month, that 401k is managed by someone else.”
He recommended “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and the Earn Your Leisure podcast to those interested in economic wellness.