Black Mental Health Village, Nashville, Nashville, TN (2026)

02/13/2026

Yesterday our interns, Jemiah and Joshua, attended Intrepid College Prep’s Black History Month Community Cookout 🖤❤️💚💛 Thank you for inviting us to provide information about support to your families and bring culture and connection together 🌟

02/12/2026

Honoring Black History by Honoring Our Elders

Cultural preservation is not only an act of resistance; it is a healing and protective factor for our mental health. This Black History Month, as we recognize 100 years of Black History, we invite you to honor Black history by lifting up the Black elders whose wisdom, labor, and love have shaped our community.

This gathering takes place on Nashville 16 Day, which honors the Black children and families who helped desegregate Nashville public schools and changed the trajectory of our city.

Join us for “Honoring Black History by Honoring Our Elders,” a community gathering centered on storytelling, gratitude, and celebration of Black elders in Nashville.

Event Details
Title: Honoring Black History by Honoring Our Elders
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 11 AM – 2 PM CST (In-person)
Location: C.E. McGruder Family Resource Center, 2013 25th Ave. N, Nashville, TN
Who’s invited: Community members of all ages

We are inviting community members to nominate Black elders to be honored. Elders may be family members, neighbors, faith leaders, teachers, organizers, caregivers, or anyone whose presence has made a meaningful impact on your life.
We are also collecting artifacts that honor Black elders in your life, such as photos, short written reflections or memories, letters, recipes, songs, or other cultural items that represent their legacy, and 1–2 minute audio or video clips sharing a story or lesson you learned from an elder.

Nominate an Elder or Submit an Artifact
Deadline: February 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST

Nomination form:
https://forms.monday.com/forms/74169c6a9bb76317061599e6d9083702?r=use1

RSVP and learn more about the event:
https://www.bmhv.org/event-details/honoring-black-history-by-honoring-our-elders

Selected nominations may be shared during the event (with your permission) as we collectively recognize and celebrate the elders who carry our histories forward.

02/12/2026

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser (circa 1895–1934) was a Black psychologist and educator, and she is widely recognized as one of the first Black women to earn a PhD in psychology in the United States. In a time of extreme racial and gender barriers, she used her research to examine how segregated and integrated schools affected the academic and emotional experiences of Black children.

Dr. Prosser’s dissertation and writings highlighted that the school environment is deeply tied to self esteem, sense of security, and academic confidence for Black students. She found that Black children in hostile integrated settings could experience more isolation and conflict, while supportive segregated schools sometimes provided more protection and affirmation. Her work pushed educators and policymakers to consider how racism in schools, not Black children themselves, harms mental health and shapes life chances.

This Black History Month, Black Mental Health Village honors Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser for insisting that the emotional lives of Black children matter in conversations about education and justice.
How have your own school experiences affected the way you feel about yourself today?

02/11/2026

Dr. Maxie Clarence Maultsby Jr. (1932–2016) was a Black psychiatrist, teacher, and innovator who created Rational Behavior Therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that people can learn and apply on their own. His work centered on helping people change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors by teaching practical, step by step skills for managing emotions, stress, and everyday challenges.

Through Rational Behavior Therapy, Dr. Maultsby emphasized that people can learn to identify unhealthy beliefs, replace them with more accurate and helpful thoughts, and build emotional self control. He developed self help materials, group programs, and training methods that made evidence based mental health tools more accessible beyond the therapy office. His approach has influenced community programs, medical settings, and counseling practices, especially for people who need coping skills they can use between sessions and across the course of their lives.

This Black History Month, Black Mental Health Village honors Dr. Maxie Clarence Maultsby Jr. for giving our communities concrete tools to challenge painful beliefs and build healthier ways of thinking and living.
What are some beliefs you have had to unlearn to support your mental health?

02/11/2026

Stay until the end 👀✊🏿 Happy Black History Month from your Black Mental Health Village Family! & from everyone here at the amazing C.E. McGruder Family Resource Center.

02/09/2026

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (b. 1954) is a Black clinical psychologist, educator, and scholar whose work has transformed how we think about race, identity, and learning environments in the United States. As President of Spelman College and a leading voice on racial identity development, she has helped countless people name the realities of racism and understand how those forces shape their sense of self and belonging.

Through influential books such as "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria" and "Other Conversations About Race", Dr. Tatum invites readers into honest conversations about racism, silence, and courage. She explains how racial identity develops over time, why Black students often cluster together as an act of affirmation and safety, and how educators and communities can create spaces that support healthy identity development for all children. Her work has guided generations of teachers, counselors, and parents in understanding that talking openly about race is not the problem, and that avoidance only deepens harm.

This Black History Month, Black Mental Health Village honors Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum for giving us language and tools to talk about race, identity, and education with more clarity and compassion. How have conversations about race in schools, families, or workplaces shaped your own mental health and sense of safety?

02/07/2026

We’re excited to welcome Pam Cowley to the Black Mental Health Village Board of Directors!

Pam is a Senior Population/Public Health Manager at Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, leading community engagement to address Alzheimer’s health disparities in African American communities.

Her passion for brain health and mental wellness is deeply personal:
“Through my own family's experiences, I’ve learned how vital mental and brain health are to our community’s well-being and how we can model self-care, self-knowledge, and self-advocacy for our children.”

Welcome Pam, we’re so grateful for your leadership and your heart for healing our community. 💛

02/06/2026

Francis Cecil Sumner, PhD (1895–1954) was a Black psychologist, scholar, and educator whose work helped lay the foundation for Black psychology and for generations of Black mental health professionals. Recognized as the first Black American to earn a PhD in psychology in the United States and often called the “father of Black American psychologists,” he used his research and leadership to challenge racism in education and to open doors for Black students in psychology.

At Howard University, Dr. Sumner built one of the first independent psychology departments at a historically Black college or university and mentored students such as Kenneth B. Clark, whose research on segregation helped shape the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Through his writings on race, education, religion, and justice, he argued that structural racism and inequality, not Blackness, limit opportunity and harm mental and spiritual growth. His commitment to rigorous scholarship and to training Black psychologists created a pipeline of clinicians and researchers who would carry forward work on prejudice, discrimination, and the mental health of Black communities.

This Black History Month, Black Mental Health Village honors Francis Cecil Sumner, PhD, for insisting that Black minds are worthy of serious study, support, and investment.

How have educators, mentors, or trailblazers in your own life helped you imagine new possibilities for your mental health and for the futures of Black people?

02/06/2026

❤️🖌️ Join Isis Swink of GenIsis Holistic Life and Nelson Guillen of Mandala for “All the Love” - an event that brings community together to create a beautiful mandala art.

RSVP: https://www.bmhv.org/event-details/art-wellness-all-the-love-valentines-day-event

Come and share the love with us whether with your significant other, family, friends, or by yourself! Love in all forms is celebrated and contributes to our wellness. This is a casual coloring session that welcomes all ages in the community to come out.

02/06/2026

This Black History Month, support Black Mental Health Village (BMHV)!
There are many ways to uplift the mission of BMHV:

Buy BMHV Branded Merchandise: Every purchase of our branded gear directly helps fund our programs and advocacy. Show your solidarity and wear your support! Shop now at our official store.
https://www.bonfire.com/bmhv/

Become a Member: Join our growing community of advocates and receive exclusive member updates, resources, and ways to get involved.
https://www.bmhv.org/membership

Make a Donation: Contribute financially to help us expand mental health resources, community outreach, and educational initiatives.
www.bmhv.org/donate

Spread Awareness: Share our posts and mission on social media. Let your friends and family know how they can be part of the movement.

Volunteer Your Time: Join us in making a tangible difference in the lives of Black individuals and communities.

Partner with Us: Organizations and businesses can collaborate with BMHV to foster greater impact.

Every shirt, hoodie, and accessory purchased is a step towards wellness, empowerment, and change.

Look Good, Do Good: Support Black Mental Health Village today!

02/05/2026

Dr. William E. Cross Jr. (1940–2024) was a Black psychologist, educator, and theorist who reshaped how we understand Black identity, liberation, and mental health. His famous Nigrescence model, often described as “the process of becoming Black,” gave language to the emotional and spiritual journeys many Black people experience as we awaken to racism, embrace our Blackness, and move toward healing and collective power.

Through influential works such as The Negro to Black Conversion Experience and Shades of Black, Dr. Cross showed that Black identity is not a problem to be solved but a source of strength, creativity, and wholeness. He named five key stages of this journey (pre encounter, encounter, immersion and emersion, internalization, and internalization and commitment), offering a framework that helped separate Blackness from pathology and instead placed the harm where it belongs, on racism and oppression. His work has guided generations of therapists, scholars, and community healers in affirming that a strong, grounded Black identity can support healthier relationships, deeper self love, and more sustainable resistance.

This Black History Month, Black Mental Health Village honors Dr. William E. Cross Jr. for giving our community words and wisdom to describe the beauty and struggle of Black identity. How have your own experiences of “becoming Black” shaped your mental health story and the ways you show up for yourself and for our people?

Join us today for a Healing-Centered Community Engagement gathering as we explore how our own Black identity development has shaped our Black mental health journeys and how we can use Black identity development as a framework to talk about our experiences.

Black Mental Health Village

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