Welcome back! We hope you are ready to jump into July, because we sure are! But first, let’s hop back over to June for a quick recap.
Last June, ABRIR wrapped up our Digital Organizing Internship Application, successfully completed yet another Book Chats event 📚, and celebrated Pride Month 🌈. As we prepare to onboard our new intern, Book Chats will take a break due to our Digital Organizing Internship. We are truly excited to introduce our intern to the team!
June Book Chats: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo 📚 Be sure to check out the recap on our Instagram or Twitter page!
The Digital Organizing Internship: The Process 👩💻👨💻✨
Thank you so much for your interest! After the opening of Digital Organizing Internship application on May 6, we had a great response rate from our community! This does demonstrate the need for an opportunity and we are grateful to create this! On the closing of the application on May 30, we had a whopping 60 applications! We offered 17 interviews and selected 1 intern! Stay tuned for an intern reveal on our socials. 📱💗
A huge thanks to everyone who supported our raffle and donated to help us fund this internship! 🙌🏽
Thanks for reading this far! Continue reading for more educational content, movie suggestions, artist shoutouts, resources, and more! ♥️
Segment written by Andrea and Arely, Edited by Rashel
#FilmFeels for July 🔎
We are right in the thick of Summer. With this in mind, I wanted to share with you all two recommendations that I have watched in the past during my Summer break. ☀️ From my time off from school to now working as a full-time adult (ew) I chose one series and one film both from Thailand 🇹🇭🥭
Girl From Nowhere (2 seasons/Netflix)
If you’re my friend - you should know I LOVE this show so much. The series follows Nanno, a student in high school. Each episode introduces a new school and new characters. Expect lots of social commentary as the storyline and plots were inspired by real news reports about girls in Thailand.
Personal favorite episodes (season 1): Trophy, Hi-So, Lost & Found, Thank You Teacher, BFF Part 1 & 2. Let me know what yours are!
Bad Genius (Netflix)
This film centers around two characters, the first being Lynn, who enters a prestigious high school and soon befriends others who come from a vastly different background than hers. The other character is Bank, who also comes from a low-income background and is a top ranking student.
After Lynn stars a side business of assisting wealthy students with cheating and passing their exams there is another venue that she partakes in: flying out to Sydney, Australia to take the STIC (international standardized test for university admissions - so think of the SAT/ACT here in the United States). I loved this film and it was super popular in Thailand - give it a watch if you can:
Segment Written by Arely
Artists & Small Shops You Should Know About!👩🏻💻
Meet Tammy Dinh ✨🎨🧸 uncomfy.univer.se 🍅
After our last newsletter in May, I have been WAITING to write this segment yet again. There are so many talented and artistic people in the world and all I could think was “wow… she is so talented” when I first came across Tammy’s Instagram.
About Tammy ☀️🐰
Tammy is a Vietnamese-American artist and small business owner nestled in the heart of Denver, Colorado. Back in 2020, she brought her vision to life with the launch of her online shop UNCOMFY CO., which specializes in clay sculptures, art prints, and accessories.1
Tammy has consistently had sculpture drops for the past 3+ years now. She not only has collaborated with big names such as Crocs, but also created original characters of hers, such as Maxine (cutest goldfish - photo below). More over, if there is anyone’s shop you want to set an alarm for - let it be hers. Tammy’s items sell out QUICK!😭
You can visit her website (link at the top). Do know her shop is closed for now until her next drop. Definitely give her a follow on Instagram and Youtube. I’ll be linking a reel of her work below. Go support! ✨
Bio information taken from Tammy’s website: uncomfy.univer.se
Segment Written by Arely
July News! ☀️
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
It is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month!
We wanted to highlight the importance around mental health that affects the various racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face when it comes to mental illness. I wanted to emphasize how minority communities have historically faced discrimination, systemic inequalities, and social injustices — all of which have profound impacts on mental health. We will be touching on a few of our communities to get a bit more informed and will be providing resources.
In 2020, fewer than one in every two African American adults got care for mental health; 25% of Black people seek mental health treatment when needed, compared to 40% of white people. Not to forget how this community also experiences racial trauma, and intergenerational Trauma. Black Americans develop mental health conditions at a rate equal to anyone else. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has declared racism a serious threat to public health that has placed communities of color at greater risk for poor health outcomes.
In 2018, Asian Americans were 60 percent less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic Whites. It was found that Asian Americans are 50% less likely than other racial groups to seek mental health services, says Dr. Ito. In some Asian cultures, mental health challenges are viewed as an individual problem or weakness and talking openly about sadness, disappointment or depression is rarely encouraged.
As for the Latinx community, when it comes to mental health, they are rather more private and silent as well because of the huge stigmatizations. Stigma within the Hispanic/Latinx community can also lead to a lack of information as individuals may not recognize the symptoms of mental health conditions or know where to seek help. In turn, this may cause individuals to not seek treatment. Many in the Latinx community are familiar with the phrase “la ropa sucia se lava en casa” Some people do not seek treatment for mental illness out of fear of being labeled as “locos” (crazy) or bringing shame in their families. Obstacles for many include a lack of health insurance, less access to treatment, and stigma/stereotypes.
It is crucial to know about the minority population that are LGBTQ+ and how mental health affects them, I know for myself as I identify as LGBTQ+ and a Latina, I barely recognized this month how important it is to take care of my mental health when I thought I was completely fine taking care of it myself.
POC LGBTQ+ community, experience alarmingly high rates of mental health challenges. It disrupts their daily lives and can be life-threatening, especially for children and youth. It was found that over a majority of POC LGBTQ+ adults in the United States are facing significant mental health challenges today. LGBTQ+ high schoolers of color are also more likely to attempt suicide (27%) compared to LGBTQ+ high schoolers (22%) and non-LGBTQ+ high schoolers (5%) in the United States. While POC LGBTQ+ adults experience similar rates of mental health challenges as LGBTQ+ adults generally, they receive unequal rates of diagnoses.
Below are resources.
Therapy for Latinx (where I got my therapist)
Therapy for Queer People of Color
South Asian Sexual & Mental Health Alliance
Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Therapist Directory
Rest for Resistance by QTPOC Mental Health
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Every July it is Disability Pride Month!
Originating in the United States in 1990 to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26. The ADA was the first legislation in the world to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, and access to services. Individuals with disabilities deserve to live full, self-determined lives, just like everyone else. Yet discrimination continues for the 1 in 4 U.S. adults living with a disability. As of right now, 85% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are unemployed. Many of them want to work and have skills to contribute. Among those who are employed, people with IDD are working fewer than 13 hours a week on average and less than one-fifth of them. We wanted to emphasize that with increased awareness invites opportunities to change how disability is perceived, end stigmas and promote expanded appreciation as a natural part of human diversity is crucial.
Learn About the Disability Experience and resources!
Virtual Bookshelf: Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month: Resource
How to teach children about disability, at every age!
Celebrate your local disability community and show your support! (various states that are hosting events!)
Segments written by Fabi
Resources of the Month
Scholarships and Grants:
J.U.S.T. Activist Scholarships and Grants, applicants chosen on August 21, 2024
For more information, find the original post on their Instagram page.
Eligibility: Black and brown folks, all others are encouraged to apply based on their circumstances.
Casey Goodson Jr. Sibling Childcare Grant: Grant for siblings who heavily support or care for their siblings.
Amber Evans Organizer Rest Grant: Grant for community organizers.
Andre Hill Direct Action Grant: Grant for individuals who are part of an organization that directly supports their community.
Ta’kiya Young New Mom Grant: Grant for new moms.
The Daisy DACA Foundation Dreamer’s Scholarship due August 15, 2024
Job and Professional Development Opportunities
Civic Education Organizer at SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network) due July 11, 2024
Graphic Design and Digital Design Intern (Remote Position) at DeedsNotWords due July 12, 2024, find more information here.
Development Coordinator at Juntos Community (Contracting Position) due July 12, 2024, find more information here.
Virtual Clinics Coordinator at Juntos Community (Contracting Position) due July 12, 2024 (LinkedIn Deadline update)
*Friendly reminder, don’t get discouraged, these are only a few opportunities out of many that might be out there. Keep at it, you got this!
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Segment compiled by Andrea
Until the next month!
Thank you for subscribing and reading our newsletter! If you have any suggestions or comments, or are in need of any assistance, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us. If you’ve made it this far into the newsletter and are undocumented, interested in pursuing or are currently pursuing a career in the Pre-Health field - be on the lookout early this week for a special announcement from us on our socials: @abrircoalition! 🏥🩺
In Community,
Abrir Coalition
Compiled and Edited by Andrea, Arely, Fabiana, and Rashel. Book Chats Graphics made by Yadira.