Alesha Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of For The Struggle, Inc (“FTS”). Alesha has worked with and for various organizations and has witnessed how many organizations benefit from the struggle without truly addressing issues identified by community members. She founded FTS in May 2019 to create an organization that truly focuses on addressing community needs from within by partnering with members and leaders of impacted communities.  

For The Struggle's mission is to fight systemic issues of racial and social injustice by responding to the matters identified by Black communities, and advocating with and on behalf of such communities.

Guest - 

Alesha Brown, Founder & Executive Director

For The Struggle, Inc.

1420 Beatties Ford Road

 Charlotte, NC 28216

(704) 800-6628

Alesha Brown is the Founder and Executive Director of For The Struggle, Inc (“FTS”). Alesha has worked with and for various organizations and has witnessed how many organizations benefit from the struggle without truly addressing issues identified by community members. She founded FTS in May 2019 to create an organization that truly focuses on addressing community needs from within by partnering with members and leaders of impacted communities.  
For The Struggle's mission is to fight systemic issues of racial and social injustice by responding to the matters identified by Black communities, and advocating with and on behalf of such communities.
Guest - 
Alesha Brown, Founder &amp; Executive Director
For The Struggle, Inc.
1420 Beatties Ford Road
 Charlotte, NC 28216
(704) 800-6628

Living, working, and thriving in Charlotte, NC for 30 years, host JD (Janine Davis) is a passionate advocate for all people and organizations that celebrate the Queen City.   


The Charlotte Community Connections podcast spotlights those who are making a difference in the greater Charlotte area. From area non-profits to healthcare initiatives and local leaders to startup entrepreneur, we'll learn the diverse ways we can work together to strengthen our community.  


Interested in being featured on Charlotte Community Connections or have a suggestion?  Drop us a line at janine.davis@bbgi.com.


Make sure to subscribe to the Charlotte Community Connections podcast.  New episodes drop each week.

Living, working, and thriving in Charlotte, NC for 30 years, host JD (Janine Davis) is a passionate advocate for all people and organizations that celebrate the Queen City.   
 The Charlotte Community Connections podcast spotlights those who are making a difference in the greater Charlotte area. From area non-profits to healthcare initiatives and local leaders to startup entrepreneur, we'll learn the diverse ways we can work together to strengthen our community.  
 Interested in being featured on Charlotte Community Connections or have a suggestion?  Drop us a line at <a href="mailto:janine.davis@bbgi.com">janine.davis@bbgi.com</a>.
 Make sure to subscribe to the Charlotte Community Connections podcast.  New episodes drop each week.

Charlotte Community Connections

Charlotte Woman Has An Answer For Those In The Struggle

As we wrap up the month of July, we want to highlight it being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was inspired by the author Bebe Moore Campbell, who co-founded NAMI Urban Los Angeles. That’s the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She was a national change agent who worked to revolutionize the way we approach mental health in underserved communities.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI),
1 out of 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness
Half of all lifetime mental illness begins early, by age 14

Let’s talk about mental health and the Black experience. The Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health says Black adults in the U.S. are MORE LIKELY than white adults to report feeling emotional distress, sad. But according to the American Psychiatric Association, only 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness get treatment. 

Join us for today’s episode on Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – Let’s Talk.

GUESTS - 

Jaren Doby – Therapist with Novant Health, 16 years of experience in the field of mental health . Received formal training from UNC-Greensboro.

Monica Stevenson – Educator/Mental Health professional with SolePurpose of the Carolinas.  She has 30 years in the business and is a graduate of Fisk, Duquesne and Queens Universities.

Stephon Portlock, a youth therapist from Echelon Care provides specialized treatment for at-risk youth and their families. 

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

For mental health emergencies text #988

Hotline 800-950-6264

As we wrap up the month of July, we want to highlight it being Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was inspired by the author Bebe Moore Campbell, who co-founded NAMI Urban Los Angeles. That’s the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She was a national change agent who worked to revolutionize the way we approach mental health in underserved communities.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI),
<ul>
<li>1 out of 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness</li>
<li>Half of all lifetime mental illness begins early, by age 14</li>
</ul>
Let’s talk about mental health and the Black experience. The Health &amp; Human Services Office of Minority Health says Black adults in the U.S. are MORE LIKELY than white adults to report feeling emotional distress, sad. But according to the American Psychiatric Association, only 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness get treatment. 
Join us for today’s episode on Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – Let’s Talk.
GUESTS - 
Jaren Doby – Therapist with <a href="https://www.novanthealth.org/">Novant Health,</a> 16 years of experience in the field of mental health . Received formal training from UNC-Greensboro.
Monica Stevenson – Educator/Mental Health professional with SolePurpose of the Carolinas.  She has 30 years in the business and is a graduate of Fisk, Duquesne and Queens Universities.
Stephon Portlock, a youth therapist from <a href="https://www.echeloncare.com/">Echelon Care</a> provides specialized treatment for at-risk youth and their families. 
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
For mental health emergencies text #988
Hotline 800-950-6264

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month - Let's Talk!

These are all names you likely know – Toni Braxton, Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta, Rosie O’Donnell, Rodney and Holly Robinson-Peete. What you may not know is they all share THIS in common – each of them is living with a child who is autistic.

And when we say ‘autism’, what do we mean? You’ve likely heard people say things like “he/she is on the spectrum”.  Autism According to the Centers for Disease Control Autism is Autism spectrum disorder or ASD. The disorder refers to a wide range of conditions that may include challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. And it is not uncommon. The CDC says autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today. We plan to delve into this topic today Autism – Living On The Spectrum.

GUESTS -

Tonya Tolson – Mother of 7-year-old AJ who is autistic. She and her husband learned of his autism when he was 18 months and that is when their fight to manage the disorder began. They started their own nonprofit organization, AJ and the Cool Kids was born in April 2022. 

AJ And The Cool Kids

Cecilia Cruse–Talley – An early intervention specialist with the Howard County Infants and Toddlers Program in Maryland. She’s been in special education for 26 years. She has her Masters in Special Education-Early Childhood Intervention from Johns Hopkins University.

Annette Addo Yobo– newly crowned Miss Texas and a history maker. She is the first immigrant–born and first Ghanaian to win the title. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. While competing in the pageant, she wanted to use her platform to raise awareness of autism. Annette’s younger brother, Andrew was diagnosed with autism when was 4 years old.

These are all names you likely know – Toni Braxton, Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta, Rosie O’Donnell, Rodney and Holly Robinson-Peete. What you may not know is they all share THIS in common – each of them is living with a child who is autistic.
And when we say ‘autism’, what do we mean? You’ve likely heard people say things like “he/she is on the spectrum”.  Autism According to the Centers for Disease Control Autism is Autism spectrum disorder or ASD. The disorder refers to a wide range of conditions that may include challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. And it is not uncommon. The CDC says autism affects an estimated <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/ss/ss7202a1.htm">1 in 36 children </a>and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9128411/">1 in 45 adults</a> in the United States today. We plan to delve into this topic today Autism – Living On The Spectrum.
GUESTS -
Tonya Tolson – Mother of 7-year-old AJ who is autistic. She and her husband learned of his autism when he was 18 months and that is when their fight to manage the disorder began. They started their own nonprofit organization, AJ and the Cool Kids was born in April 2022. 
<a href="https://ajandthecoolkids.org/">AJ And The Cool Kids</a>
Cecilia Cruse–Talley – An early intervention specialist with the Howard County Infants and Toddlers Program in Maryland. She’s been in special education for 26 years. She has her Masters in Special Education-Early Childhood Intervention from Johns Hopkins University.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/annetteaddoyobo?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&amp;igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==">Annette Addo Yobo </a>– newly crowned Miss Texas and a history maker. She is the first immigrant–born and first Ghanaian to win the title. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas. While competing in the pageant, she wanted to use her platform to raise awareness of autism. Annette’s younger brother, Andrew was diagnosed with autism when was 4 years old.

Autism : Living On The Spectrum

Moodiness, weight gain, thinning hair, dry skin, sleep problems and of course the all too common and dreaded Hot flashes. Care to take a guess as to what these symptoms are associated with? It’s that “M” word. I'm talking about MENOPAUSE.

Research shows that 75 million women in the United States are dealing with perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause right now. It's a real issue that has ignited conversation in the White House. There is legislation on the table that would strengthen & expand federal research on menopause. It’s a bill called The Advancing Menopause & Mid-Life Women’s Health Act. We are learning more about it on this edition of Community Connections with JD. 

Guests:

Dr. David Newman - Gynecologist, Atrium Health Women's Care GYN of the Carolinas

Sonya Barnes – Life & Wellness Coach for Midlife Women, Sonya Barnes International 

Moodiness, weight gain, thinning hair, dry skin, sleep problems and of course the all too common and dreaded Hot flashes. Care to take a guess as to what these symptoms are associated with? It’s that “M” word. I'm talking about MENOPAUSE.
Research shows that 75 million women in the United States are dealing with perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause right now. It's a real issue that has ignited conversation in the White House. There is legislation on the table that would strengthen &amp; expand federal research on menopause. It’s a bill called The Advancing Menopause &amp; Mid-Life Women’s Health Act. We are learning more about it on this edition of Community Connections with JD. 
Guests:
<a href="https://atriumhealth.org/provider-profile/david-newman-1629003314">Dr. David Newman </a>- Gynecologist, Atrium Health Women's Care GYN of the Carolinas
Sonya Barnes – Life &amp; Wellness Coach for Midlife Women, <a href="https://www.sonyabarnesinternational.com/">Sonya Barnes International </a>

Charlotte Woman Has An Answer For Those In The Struggle

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