Politics

Michelle Obama Promotes Awareness of Mental Health Care

Published

10 years ago

March 5, 2015

First lady Michelle Obama waves while speaking at the Newseum in Washington, Wednesday, March 4, 2015, to launch the “Change Direction” campaign. Michelle Obama says mental health care is not just a policy and budget issue for America, but also a cultural issue. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

STACY A. ANDERSON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mental health care is not just a policy and budget issue for America, but also a cultural issue, Michelle Obama said on Wednesday.

The first lady said more than 40 million Americans experience a diagnosable mental health condition— like depression or anxiety— and there should be no stigma around mental health care.

“At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country,” she said. “Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.”

Mrs. Obama spoke at a mental health summit and the national launch of the campaign to “Change Direction.”

The initiative encourages Americans to care for their mental health and learn the signs of emotional distress. The five signs of emotional suffering are withdrawal, agitation, hopelessness, decline in personal care and change in personality.

The nonprofit organization Give an Hour, which launched the campaign, has developed a network of about 7,000 mental health professionals to provide services to those in need, including veterans and service members.

Mrs. Obama has been a longtime advocate for veterans, service members and military families through her Joining Forces initiative. But the first lady said mental health conditions affect about 1 in 5 adults, and no one should have to worry about perceptions because they are seeking help.

“Life can be stressful,” she said. “Folks are faced with all kinds of challenges. They are stretched thin at work. Their paychecks don’t stretch far enough. Millions struggle every day just to get by.”

“Change Direction” was inspired by a discussion at the White House National Conference on Mental Health in 2013, following the fatal Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Participants in the campaign to “Change Direction” include the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, America’s Promise Alliance, Booz Allen Hamilton, Aetna, Change.org, Justice for Vets and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

The summit gathered leaders from the government, business and nonprofit sectors for panels on mental health at the Newseum.

___

More information:

http://www.changedirection.org

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

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2 days ago

June 7, 2025

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.