Palabra Editor’s Note: This the second story from a new reporting project called Silent Battles, which focuses on the mental health of immigrant, refugee and asylum communities in the U.S. We have begun the project in Chicago, a city founded by a Haitian immigrant, that has the fourth-largest immigrant population in the country .
The series is a collaboration between the Chicago bureau of MindSite News and palabra , a multimedia platform from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. It is made possible with funding from the Field Foundation of Illinois. This story may contain scenes or references that could be triggering to people impacted by trauma.
If you or someone you know need mental health support please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. Crisis counselors are available in English and Spanish, as well as for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. By Alma Campos | Edited by Diana Hembree Just two days after Donald Trump was elected president in Nov.
2016, mental health advocates in Chicago gathered to discuss concerns about the election’s impact on immigrants’ mental health. The meeting ultimately led them to found the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health , a network of organizations united in providing mental health support for immigrant residents of the city who do not have legal documents. One of the founders, Maria Ferrera, an associate professor of social work and critical ethnic studies at DePaul University, recalls that she and.