Rev. Walrond told DNAinfo, ““There’s a normalization of trauma in this community,” he said. “We don’t engage it, we don’t address it.”
The stigma attached to mental health in the Black community is in large part due to language, Walrond believes. In his experience, people fear being called “crazy.”
Chirlane McCray, wife of mayor de Blasio and a mental health advocate, attended the Center’s opening and spoke to how transformative the Center will be to the community.
“Now folks who live, work and worship in this community are only a short walk away from high-quality affordable mental health care and that care will be delivered by people who understand this community,” said McCray.