MIDLAND, Texas — When people think of Juneteenth, talking about mental health probably isn’t one of the first things someone thinks of.
But there are those in the community who feel it’s something that a day like Juneteenth can help make easier to talk about for some.
“On a day like Juneteenth, it's important for us because if we look at our history, you know a lot of times people are stuck in the past, they're stuck in the in the mind of enslavement. And so, this is important for the community, not just for black people, not for just for African Americans but for all people, because everyone deals with something that affects them mentally,” said AnnaKatrina Kelly-Gardner, founder and CEO of Virtue Us Investments Inc.
Ereka Howard teams up with various organizations in Midland every year to put on the Mental Health Matters Symposium.
A different mental health theme is talked about every year and this year for the 3rd annual, the topic was important to Ereka Howard.
“In this particular year, we decided to talk about grief in honor of my late mother, Mrs. Shirley Howard. And so, we decided this year to ground it around grief and found out that a lot of people in the community, you know, they deal with a lot of different mental health issues and grief and anxiety and depression as well,” said Ereka Howard.
Ereka Howard said she felt it was right to turn around and offer help to those going through grief like her and give them a chance to talk about their experiences. She also allowed others to be exposed to resources available in the community.
Like her late mother, Ereka Howard feels she is living a life of service to the community and carrying on her work and memory.
“She would give me the encouragement to not give up, to always strive for the best, to always believe in yourself, and there's going to be times where you won't feel like doing it," Ereka Howard said. "But as my mother said, if death shall find me it will find me serving the people. And so, I feel the same way.”