NAMICON 2023

I just finished attending a four-day, national NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) conference at the convention center in downtown Minneapolis where more than a thousand people showed up from all over the country. For me, it was a very exciting experience, crammed full of multiple impressions and lasting memories. Here are just a few of the highlights.

Thursday morning began with a fireside chat between NAMI CEO Dan Gillison and social activist Kenneth Cole, who discussed the collaborative efforts between the business community and mental health providers in combatting the stigma of mental illness in the work[lace. Another keynote address later that day included a candid conversation between two African-American parents, a man and a woman, one of whom had lost a son to drug addiction.

Thursday and Friday featured more than four dozen impact sessions (workshops) which dealt with a myriad pf mental health concerns. In one of my favorites, The Anxious Black Man, the presenter was a black man from Detroit who spoke about the racial inequities in our society which caused African-Americans to stay stuck in abject poverty, and to be subject to debilitating physical and mental stressors. Another one -- I'm not broken, don't fix me! -- addressed the issue of disability rights and disability justice.

In addition to all the serious keynote addresses and impact sessions, there were also more light-hearted moments. On Thursday evening, for example, we were treated to a candlelight vigil and the beautiful music of Mozart, Bach, and Tchaikovsky, as played by the Me 2 Orchestra. This unique organization was created specifically for people with mental health diagnoses. Friday evening ended with a party, a sumptious buffet, and a jazz concert.

Two especially memorable features of the convention for me included the areas reserved for therapy animals: dogs and horses. I headed for the horse enclosure where I stood next to a Palamino and a painted miniature horse. I took some pictures. I also talked with a woman who described the kind of equine therapy available on a horse farm in Forest Lake outside the Twin Cities.

I'd like to wrap things up with some final impressions. On Thursday, I had a chance to touch bases with a woman from Iowa who contacted me earlier, and introduced me to three of her friends. That morning, I was also able to make my three memoirs available for sale at the NAMI Minnesota table. There I joined three other Minnesota authors for a book signing. I did a book exchange with one of them.

On Friday morning, while volunteering in one of the quiet rooms, I had a warm chat with a social worker from Lexington, Kentucky about her work coordinating NAMI Family to Family support groups. During lunch, I saw a moving film (based on a memoir) that depicted a man's struggles with bi-polar disorder, his subsequent therapy, and eventual rapprochement with members of his family. This film was followed by a panel discussion in which both the author and his therapist took part. At the end of the afternoon, I joined a large Connexions support group whose two facilitators were outstanding, and which I found very stimulating and helpful.

Yes, I'm grateful that I had this unique opportunity to participate in such an uplifting, impactful event. I was especially impressed by the prominent roles that people of color played in making this conference a resounding success. They were well represented as participants, workshop leaders. keynote speakers, entertainers, and award recipients.