Strengthening California: The Urgent Call to Protect Mental Health Funding for Community Well-Being

The California Black Women’s Health Project envisions a future where women’s health choices flourish in a landscape that promotes equal access and justice. However, Governor Gavin Newsom’s revised budget poses a significant threat by suggesting the total elimination of the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP). This alarming proposal endangers crucial, community-driven mental health efforts across the state, including our Sisters Mentally Mobilized – Advocate Training Program, which fosters Black women as mental health champions within their communities.The CRDP funds 33 culturally attuned programs aimed at marginalized populations frequently neglected by conventional mental health care. Abolishing these resources sends a disheartening message: our health and leadership are devalued. It's imperative for state leaders to recommit to health equity by reinstating this vital support for grassroots initiatives. Empowered Black women cultivate robust families and communities.