Sometimes it takes a scream to make a difference. That was one of the messages the Promotores de Patterson wanted to get across when they recently held an event for Latinos who’ve experienced violence. More than 50 people attended the mini summit “Women Scream/El Grito de la Mujer” held at the Gathering Church.
“Emotional wellness is important to us,” said Coordinator Albertina Reynoso. “We hope that just like the butterfly that undergoes a complete metamorphosis transformation, we can support others in their journey of healing and discovering their beauty.”
The Promotores de Patterson is one of thirteen groups in Stanislaus County that advocates for mental health support for primarily Spanish speaking community members. They’ve been doing it for eleven years and it’s a passion project for those involved.
“I do this because it’s from my heart,” said member Mirna Macedo. “I think it’s very important for us as a community to reach new people because we don’t know everyone’s situation. When we have these kinds of events, we can reach more people and we can bring help to other people that are not close to us. But when they get here, they find a way to get help from us.”
There are always challenges for the Promotores de Patterson to do the kind of outreach they want to accomplish, but the most recent one feels overwhelming for them. Now that Prop 1 has passed, they are at risk of losing their funding.
“We are funded through Prop 63, which comes through the county,” said Reynoso. “But Prop 1 will take some of that county money and take it to the state level.”
Prop 63, also known as the Mental Health Services Act, was passed in 2004. It taxes people who make over a million dollars a year. Prop 1, passed by voters this month, will divert some of those tax dollars in different ways – mainly for housing the homeless.
“We don’t know what will happen next,” said Reynoso. “We haven’t heard.”
In the meantime, the Promotores de Patterson will continue to focus on their goal: improving the lives of Latinos through better mental health.
“We understand that Latinos don’t normally go get help when it’s needed,” said Reynoso. “They look at mental health as a stigma, a taboo. From what they’ve seen in the movies and what they hear. And so, when we start talking about mental health in a different way it starts to become ok to get help. We do different sessions, like Women Scream, then they can have an open mind and think its ok to ask for help.”
At the workshop, attendees were encouraged to write down their feelings and then read them into a microphone.
“It helps them sort out some of their feelings on paper and reflect on what has happened that can cause sorrow. But also, there is some laughter because there’s been some good moments in their life,” said Reynoso. “And there were a few that were brave to stand up and say what they needed to say.”
Promotores de Patterson can be reached at (209) 690-3100.