NAMI Dane County started with three mothers on a mission in Madison, Wisconsin. In April 1977, three women met to discuss the challenges they were experiencing with children with serious mental health issues. They assembled a group of family members and friends of individuals with mental illnesses, to gather and share similar concerns and questions.
The group continued to grow and later that year, they formed the Alliance for Mental Illness (AMI). They chose the acronym, AMI, because it means “friend” in French. Two years later, the National Alliance for Mental Illness was established as a national group. Since then, over hundreds of affiliate chapters have been founded across the country, raising awareness about mental health education and resources and joining in community to support one another.
NAMI Dane County provides community education and outreach to reduce stigmas around mental health. The vision of our organization is to be a thought and knowledge leader on mental illnesses. We also strive to create a stigma-free community where all people impacted by mental illnesses find the help, hope, and support they need.
Although our organization was founded by three white women, we recognize the necessity of providing mental health resources and support to individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color (BIPOC). The impacts of racism and white supremacy has serious detriments on the mental health conditions of BIPOC communities.
We also provide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)/Partner (CIP) Trainings to law enforcement officials to understand how to better respond to people experiencing mental health crises. This is important because Black and brown communities experience higher rates of police violence and brutality. We work to inform law officers how to support individuals with mental health issues in their community so they understand how to safely navigate situations as they arise.
Tiaira Robinson creates the CIT/CIP training and serves as the Awareness and Education Supervisor. She has been working for the organization for the last year and a half. In her role, she cultivates and manages relationships with organizations and community members to raise awareness about resources and support available to those in need.
Robinson serves as the team lead on all crisis intervention and community education training. She shared that as a Black woman from Wisconsin, working for NAMI Dane has been very enlightening.
“There are so many biases out there that need to be broken,” Robinson said. “I know in my community, it’s frowned upon to talk about one’s mental health, but I believe it’s important to understand that we all have issues.”
While doing this work, she has gained a lot of knowledge about the resources available and skills on how to navigate mental health issues that she says she would not have known about. It is important to her to continue working breaking mental health stigmas in her community. She recognizes that biases and stigmas make it even more difficult for vulnerable populations to express their mental health struggles and concerns.
As a Black woman who deals with mental health struggles, I personally understand the importance of the work we do. I have loved ones who suffer from mental illnesses, and without treatment and support, their conditions have only worsened.
“This work has made me more open to understanding how to support those that struggle expressing their mental health issues,” Robinson added. “It’s helped me understand my own family members better and to support them.”
As we continue to grow and expand our outreach, we invite you to connect with us and pursue any resources for yourself or a loved one. If we don’t necessarily have what you are looking for, we can direct you to one of our dozens of community partners to ensure you get the care you need.
We see you and we are here for you.
“I love representing NAMI at functions where people of color see someone that looks like them,” Robinson said. “Someone that may understand the issues they deal with and feel safer opening up to me. This work is important to me for that reason.”
For individuals interested in learning more about NAMI Dane County and mental health education and resources in our community, email: outreach@namidanecounty.org.
