Back the Black

The meaning behind the why…

The point of this campaign is to help Iowans from this specific community learn about mental health in a space that is culturally-responsive so that the folks within that community feel comfortable participating. Mental health has a HUGE stigma in many underrepresented communities. Please note that most folks from these communities feel uncomfortable learning about stigma-related subjects in a mixed crowd - simply because they don't want to be judged by what they may not yet know about the subject. Please note that this campaign is already in use by Iowa Healthiest State Initiative all across Iowa and was intended to reach all of Iowa; it was simply unable to do so with a single-lens approach. Hence their expansion to communities that were not getting the message. They started with the Black community in Iowa. 

We know that there are allies to many communities that are marginalized and we appreciate you. However, we need you to understand that the materials, merchandise, etc., are created to foster safety, a sense of community in that specific group of people, and a cultural identity. We want the merch to go out far and wide within each community. However, it is very important for each community to feel a sense of identity in the utilization of this merch. Please feel free to purchase merch for people of the represented community to wear! Please feel free to donate to the cause in the spaces provided on our website. However, because representation and identity matter, please give each community the unfettered opportunity to feel represented in the clothing, messages, and help each unique campaign that has been created as a branch of the MIO campaign fulfill its purpose.