It’s not everyday the phone rings at SocialWorkersSpeak.org and it’s one of pop star Michael Jackson’s sisters calling.
Rebbie Jackson, a singer with four albums and the 1984 hit single “Centipede,” is going on a concert tour to raise awareness of mental illness, suicide prevention and ovarian cancer. Her daughter Yashi has bipolar disorder and is well now thanks to medication, Jackson said.
In fact Yashi has just released her own book of poems,
“Black Daisy in a White Limousine,” about her mental health struggles.
“One of the things Yashi has mentioned quite often is that I didn’t treat her like she was weird and different,” said Jackson, who explained that her immediate family was always supportive and accepting of Yashi.
Jackson’s manager Stacy Brown contacted National Association of Social Workers President James Kelly, DSW, LCSW, ACSW, to let teh association and social workers know about her campaign and Yashi’s book. In fact, Jackson is scheduled to do a concert on Feb. 25 a few miles from NASW headquaters at Washington, D.C. at the Duke Ellington Theater. That concert will also benefit the Dance Institute of Washington.
SocialWorkersSpeak.org had a great conversation with Jackson and used the opportunity to tell her about the role social workers play in mental health. For instance, we told Jackson that social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in the United States.
http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yashi.jpghttp://www.socialworkersspeak.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yashi.jpgJackson said her mother Katherine Jackson and her sisters were especially aware of her daughter’s mental illness while others in the family may have not been. She said Yashi had good relations with everyone in the family, including her uncle Michael.
Rebbie Jackson hopes her campaign will help raise awareness about mental health, especially among African Americans who can be more reluctant to admit they have a mental illness. One of her campaign partners is the
National Alliance on Mental Health.
“There is a stigma when it comes to mental illness. That is what Yashi rally attacks – how that is so sad,” Jackson said. “You can have heart problems, diabetes and you can take medication. It is the same way with mental illness. You can take a pill and be fine.”
http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/m...mental-health-with-singer-rebbie-jackson.html
Take a look at who her manager is?
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