Have you ever chatted with an Unapologetically Black Unicorn? Someone who symbolizes freedom, power, strength and is a true force of nature and thought, ‘WOW people need to hear this’? Now you can and learn how to be a U.B.U. too! Join the weekly conversation with host Keris Jän Myrick, an unapologetically black unicorn in their own right, and nationally recognized mental health advocate chatting with amazing U.B.U. folk who are advancing all things mental health, racial justice, and anything cool to enhance human existence.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 12, 2024
Tuesday Nov 12, 2024
Sylvie Trevena (she/her) is a writer and Program Associate and Executive Assistant at Well Being Trust and she is also an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Sylvie shares why being a parent is so important to her and her experiences raising her transgender son Jake. They talk about checking in with your friends and also taking your own temperature, trying to speak with kids about school safety and having hope for the next generation surrounding mental health.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
Tuesday Nov 05, 2024
Dr. Jonathan Edwards (he/him) and Rita Cronise (She/Her) are editors for the book “What it Takes: Wisdom from Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors” and they are Unapologetically Black Unicorns. Jonathan and Rita explain how the book came about and the history of Peer Support. They talk about who the target audience is for the book, why this book is needed and remembering their colleague Steve Harrington.
For more information about the book “What it Takes: Wisdom from Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors” visit: https://www.peersupportworks.org/naps-members-author-guide-to-peer-support/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Katherine Grainger (she/her) is a Managing Partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group and Rebecca Grainger (she/her) is a Distinguished Educator and they are both Unapologetically Black Unicorns. Katherine and Rebecca both discuss understanding and moving policy to fix and change systems. They talk the history of Critical Race Theory and the language behind it, the work they’re doing with The Black Policy Institute as well as Black Futures Lab and the freedom of cognitive liberation.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
Tuesday Oct 22, 2024
Keris is joined by her dad, Howard Myrick who just recently turned 90 years old and cast his early vote in Florida. Keris and her dad discuss an article he wrote about the importance of voting and how as a Black person it is crucial to vote considering its history. Keris then reads the article her dad wrote entitled “Say What, You Did Not Vote?”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Keris tells a story about a typewriter that’s been passed down through the family and the memories it holds. She talks about the significance of the typewriter to her family, how it brings her joy whenever she looks at it and she discusses the positive impact memories can have on your mental health.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Lauren Clark (She/Her), PhD, RN, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing at UCLA, a teacher in the Disability Studies Department, and an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. In this episode, Lauren shares insights from her work and reflects on the groundbreaking legacy of Judy Heumann, a trailblazer in disability advocacy. She discusses how they aim to continue Judy’s work through their community partnership project at the Judy Heumann Lab, focusing on the intersectionality of disability, mental health, and immigration/citizenship, and its impact on the campus community. They also explore the concept of “chasms in care,” the importance of language, and the power of community in this work.
Our Judy Heumann Lab:
https://dslabs.ucla.edu/chasms-in-the-continuum-of-care-for-people-with-psychiatric-disabilities/
https://dslabs.ucla.edu/labs/heumann-community-partnerships-lab/2023-2/
The overall Judy Heumann Lab initiative:
https://dslabs.ucla.edu/labs/heumann-community-partnerships-lab/
UCLA Disability Studies
https://www.uei.ucla.edu/academic-programs/disability-studies/
UCLA Disability Studies Inclusion Labs
https://dslabs.ucla.edu/disability-studies/
UCLA Disability Studies creates first disability studies major at a California public university
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Dr. Ben Miller, PsyD (he/him) returns, he is a fighter of fragmentation, mental health marginalization, a champion of community-based change and an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. They discuss Dr. Miller’s blog entitled “Getting mental health right for all” and they break down the issues about involuntary commitment. They talk about moving beyond belief-based policy, asking why we have separate mental health systems and finding the overlap of mental health in everything.
“Getting mental health right for all” by Ben Miller:
https://mentalhealth411.substack.com/p/e84a1ee7-65e2-4b1a-9d0e-dee17a8602bc
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Tuesday Sep 24, 2024
Pat Deegan is an American disability-rights advocate, psychologist, researcher, the founder of Pat Deegan and Associates and she is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Pat shares the guided process of identifying and working through personal challenges with using medication. They talk about their personal experiences of being given medication after being hospitalized, the importance of developing a power statement and how we all deserve a voice in our own medication choice.
For more information about Medication Empowerment visit: https://www.patdeegan.com/medication-empowerment
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Damon Watson (He/Him/His) is the Program Director of the Fellowship Initiative, Vibrant Emotional Health and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Damon emphasizes seeing Black and Brown boys for who they and the importance of just existing. They talk about listening to the voices of our younger people, the power of mentorship and some success stories from The Fellowship Initiative program.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
This is a special episode of UBU in collaboration with the California Institute for Behavioral Health Services. In this episode, Keris is joined by Moderator Jennifer Clancy (she/her) and Jei Africa (he/his) talking about things they learned from a California project that they were part of – Cultivating Outcomes through Equity in Behavioral Telehealth, in 2022 and 2023. The goal was to help behavioral health provider organizations develop their practices to make them more accessible and equitable. That project was funded by the California Health Care Foundation. You can learn more about the Foundation and the project at www.chcf.org
To learn more about the California Health Care Foundation: https://www.chcf.org/project/cultivating-outcomes-equity-behavioral-telehealth/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info