Central Texas African American Family Support
Conference Recap
The 8th Annual Central Texas African American Family Support
Conference on February 15 and 16 was an outstanding success!
Over 600 consumers, family members, professionals and interested
community leaders joined together at the Omni Austin Hotel
for a two-day selection of seminars and events. Luminaries
from across the Southwest were united in addressing the theme
of "The Fine Art of Achieving Life Balance” Jennifer
Holliday, whose presentation was arguably the highpoint of
the conference, held a standing-room only crowd spellbound
as she vividly described her journey back from the depths
of depression and despair. Holliday rounded out her performance
by belting out a soulful rendition of her signature piece,
"And I'm Telling You I’m Not Going," and concluded
by graciously signing autographs for more than an hour.
Friday morning began with rousing welcomes from ATCMHMR's
Executive Director David Evans and Emcee Dr. King Davis, Executive
Director of the Hogg Foundation. The audience listened attentively
and presented over 30 questions to a panel on mental health
and the criminal justice system with top officials APD Chief
Art Acevedo, Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton and Sheriff
James Wilson from Williamson County. Feedback was impressive
on the 20 workshops offered during the course of the two days.
On Friday Dr. Leonard Lawrence, Professor of Psychiatry at
the UT Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, gave an intensely
personal account of his experiences in his presentation, 'Real
Men Do Cry, Black Men Must Also Learn to Cry." Other
seminar topics ran the gamut from suicide prevention to nutrition,
coping with diabetes, and children's mental health.
With the Honorable Wilhelmina Delco serving as emcee, Saturday's
program began with a legislative overview from Texas Representative
Dawnna Dukes. The Awards Luncheon was indeed stellar: Representative
Garnet Coleman flew in from Houston to present Brenda Coleman-Beattie
and Michael Lofton with Garnet F. Coleman Eternal Flame Awards
named in his honor. One of the CTAAFSC’s original founders,
Coleman-Beattie is a former president of the Austin Chapter
of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI Austin)
and is a noted expert on behavioral health managed healthcare.
Lofton founded the African-American Men and Boys Conference
which has become a significant program for Central Texas youth
and hosts The Michael Lofton Talk Show, which has aired weekly
on Access Channel 16 since 1993. Representative Coleman, a
longtime advocate for increased understanding and funding
for mental illness, spoke eloquently about the need for greater
education and understanding about brain based disorders.
The Reverend Ed Calahan presented the Griot Media Award to John
Hanson of KUT-Radio and awarded Pastor Roy F. Jones of New Hope
Missionary Baptist Church with a Spirit Award. ATCMHMR Trustee Richard
E. Hopkins assisted Coleman in presenting Richard E. Hopkins Torch
Awards to the Austin Area Mental Health Consumers; Traci Patterson,
Communications Director for Mental Health America in Texas and Ikaika
Kerr, founder of the Na’koa Polynesian Center. The Wood Group
presented a consumer scholarship and a scholarship in honor of Roberta
Calahan and her brother Robert Coleman (of blessed memory) was presented
to D'Armond Dixon by Reverend Calahan.
Willie Williams, Contract Manager for the City of Austin Health
& Human Services Department and a stalwart support of the CTAAFSC
from its beginnings, said unequivocally that 2008 has been the best
conference yet. His sentiments have been echoed in a resounding
chorus!
Friday's panel, Building Community Bridges: Understanding
Each Other, included as series of questions and answers.
Click
here to read a series of follow-up questions and answers regarding
mental health in the community as they relate to the Austin Police
Depart.
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