Some of you may have been hearing about Ms. Maia Campbell, former star of the
In The House sitcom from the mid 1990's. The show also starred Rap Superstar, LL Cool J and Debbie Allen of the Musical Movie
Fame and later the
Fame television series.
This story has been circulating around for some time, but it all came to a fever pitch when video surfaced on the web of a seemingly drug-induced Campbell yelling at a guy with a camera from inside a car. When one takes a very close look at the video, it is clear there is more than drugs happening to this young lady. You can see that she is suffering from a mental illness as well. It is very hard to see someone like this when you once remembered them as a popular TV starlet. It made me VERY sad and I felt compelled to blog about it.
Mental health, especially in the Black community, rarely gets talked about and we all have that "crazy uncle" that the family pokes fun about from time-to-time. It is apparent that we need to start taking mental health much more seriously than we have in the past. There are so many great organizations out there that cater to mental wellness, but still continues to be a taboo subject that folks feel ashamed to discuss or address. Born and raised in NYC, I always heard the seemingly idle chatter of homeless people on the subway day-after-day. It comes with the territory if you are a NY'er. It used to be white noise to me until one day I really started to
listen and realized, they once had full, bright, thriving lives and careers.
We always seem to step over these folks and brush them to the side. If you ever took the time to
listen to their stories, you would hear about their children, former jobs and the situations that led them to where they are now. It is actually pretty interesting and I never really paid attention to what they said until a homeless woman sat next to me on the F Train and I thought:
Oh boy, here we go! She offered me a piece of candy, which I smiled and declined, but she began to talk and I could see she just wanted the company, so we talked. I got some uncomfortable stares from folks sitting across from me, but it seemed to fade after a few minutes. Mrs. Kaplan, that was the name she said I could call her. I felt like I was talking to one of my teachers from grade school. Little did I know, she had taught in the NYC school system for over 20 years! She and her husband were married for close to 25 years and he was an accomplished artist, with exhibits around the city. They had a great life, three successful children, all working "big-wig" jobs in Manhattan.
Then, in 1994, her husband died in a brutal car accident. Not too long afterward, she buried her mother and father due to old age. It was a rough time for her and she said, she never quite got back to
herself. She ended up having a mental breakdown and lost her job as a result. Soon after that, she became very paranoid of everything around her and she could not understand why. She eventually lost her apartment and found herself living in the shelters and streets of NYC. She contacts her children through the shelters, but it is never consistently. She said they could never wrap thier head around her mental condition and she doesn't want to be a burden to them. She was a teacher, afterall! Why could she not "get it together"...words that her own children had uttered in past arguments on deciding her treatment. This made me sad and angry all at the same time, but I listened quietly and she told me about her husband who had suffered from being bipolar, as well as bouts with several phobias. With medication and some behavioral treatment, he was able to live a relatively normal life, but did suffer from "episodes" every now and then. She also spoke of how it was so tough to explain a disease you could not
physically see. Mr. Kaplan was never able to hold on to a 9-5 job because it would prove to be too overwhelming for him and once someone got word he was "sick", he would be
mysteriously let go. I was so engrossed into the conversation with Ms. Kaplan, that I almost missed my stop at Union Square, but I said goodbye and she thanked me for listening. Oh how I wanted to stay on that train, but I hopped out on to the platform and by the time I turned around, the train was pulling away. Mrs. Kaplan was smiling through the window and waved...I waved back. That day was a new day for me. I started to look at the mentally ill much differently. I had a new respect for the medical field in diagnosing such diseases and caring for those who suffer from them. So, when I saw the recent video of Ms. Campbell, it brought me right back to that day with Mrs. Kaplan and the conversation I had with her on the train. Mrs. Kaplan, wherever you are, THANK YOU for making me aware of my ignorance to the subject of mental health. Since then, I support as many programs as I can, that come across my desk. I encourage YOU to do the same!
*Recently, Campbell's grandmother,
Doris C. Moore and her father,
Ellis Gordon Jr., released a statement to Essence in response the video clip circulating the web:
"Our hearts have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love that so many of you have freely displayed in the past several days about our beloved Maia C. Campbell. Our spirits have been lifted by your words of support and your acts of kindness, and we have been encouraged to continue our efforts to assist our daughter and granddaughter to become whole again.
As a family, we have been struggling with Maia in her illness for quite some time. We continue to hold fast to our faith and hope that some day she will realize that healing will begin when she decides to reach out and accept the help and treatment that have been offered to her. We all have challenges in life that we must face, but when compound problems such as mental illness and substance abuse are prevalent, it can appear that there is no way out. However, our sustaining faith and trust in God compels us to believe differently. We strongly believe that Maia will be healed.
We also know that Maia's mother, the late Bebe Moore Campbell, who devoted much of her later years in life to mental health awareness and education, along with her family members and friends would welcome your prayers and support for Maia's sustained recovery. In addition, we urge your support for efforts to diagnose and treat mental illness in our community.
We ask that you not only pray for Maia's wellness, but also commit to understanding this insidious disease, which is devastating our loved ones and community. Help erase the "stigma" of mental illness, which is a very serious barrier to treatment, so that we can help those with the disease to live wholesome lives. Call for more treatment options and prevention strategies, have compassion for those stricken with this illness, and help guide those who have been unable to find their way to appropriate treatment. Additionally, support those families who are struggling to cope with loved ones with the disease, because mental illness affects the entire family.
Finally, we ask that you support Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which was established by Congressional Resolution, H. Con. Res. 134, in April 2008, and is celebrated during the month of July each year. It was established to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially within minority communities. Please join us in this effort to bring attention to this problem, to identify resources and to strengthen the focus on treatment along with research relative to minorities and mental illness. This is the work that we continue on behalf of Bebe Moore Campbell.
Let us move forward, face our challenge and turn that challenge into victory and a celebration of life."
*According to recent reports this week, Ms. Campbell is currently in a treatment facility. We wish her all the best!*
Stay Lovely!
