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Maia Campbell deserves our prayers and help, not leers and jeers.

September 15th, 2009
Maia Campbell

Maia Campbell

I just got through watching the video of Maia Campbell in the car of her “pimp” and she is apparently very strung out and dropping f bombs like there is no tomorrow.  It was very difficult to watch.  I have to say that tears came to my eyes and I was completely devastated to see her in such a state. To say that the video is heartbreaking is an understatement. First off, the men videotaping her are b+-&* n@@@@@@ (In the words of Katt Williams.) and they will have to answer to their maker one day for egging her on by asking her inane questions in order to get more “footage.” I am not posting the video because I refuse to contribute to the horrific circulation of this depiction of a fellow black woman’s cry for help.  What kind of society do we live in where other blacks find the devastations of another black person humorous and are ignorant enough to video tape a black woman who could be your mother, sister, aunt, cousin and circulate it around and call it entertainment? The black gossip sites that are circling this video and others with such titles such as “Maia Campbell is Crack-ho” are accessories to the humiliation and demise of their community.  These social sites and bloggers should be ashamed of themselves for using a situation so serious as a marketing tool and by not telling the full truth about Maia’s history.  These videos go beyond anything I have seen as far as footage of a “celebrity” at their lowest point. At one point the black community needs to draw the line and not degrade ourselves.  Maia is not a “crack-head prostitute” as I have read on so many sites.  She suffers from a mental illness, schizophrenia (sometimes she is reported to suffer from bi-polar disease as well), a mental disorder that makes it difficult to distinguish between real and unreal experiences.  The condition manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking.  Maia’s condition has brought much anguish and distress to her family for a very long time.  So much so, that her late mother Bebe Moore Campbell wrote about it in one of her last novels “72 Hour Hold.”  Sadly, her mother’s death triggered Maia’s condition for the worse (with mental illnesses, traumatic incidents such as the loss of a loved one can have a negative effect).  Maia does not have the money like some celebrities who shall remain nameless to keep her blunders hidden, so she has to suffer the humiliation of heartless negroes who have no problem degrading black women in such a manner as to exploit her at her expense. (side note, these men know they would never be able to get her on their own, so supplying her with illegal drugs is the only way they are able to manifest their insecurities).  I’ve read posts from people who said that she refused to go to rehab and that she refuses to take her meds so she deserves this.  For those of you who have never experienced this for yourself or have never watched a loved one go through self-inflicted pain for reasons far beyond your control or understanding, you should not pass judgment.  One of the many side effects of suffering from a mental illness is that it precludes you from taking your meds. One ray of hope that I see with Maia’s video being circulated is that it raising the awareness of the devastating effects that mental illness has on the black community.  Unfortunately, Maia is the face of just one of millions of people affected by this devastating disease.  African Americans have a 200% higher risk of schizophrenia than Caucasian Americans. Mental illness is a taboo subject that has plagued the black community for decades and it is time that we start addressing it. We have shied away from mental illnesses as much as we shy away from addressing homosexuality.  We may think that mental illness does not affect us, but it does.  Many of the black men and women who are locked up for committing crimes suffer from some sort of mental disorder.  Many of the “streetwalkers” and “homeless bums” that are made fun of on the streets are people with mental illnesses who do not have the resources needed to receive adequate help like those in upper class neighborhoods.  And last, but not least, how many of us know of a situation where a young girl or boy in the family has been “touched” inappropriately or sexually assaulted by a family member who “wasn’t wrapped too tight?” and everyone knows about it, but won’t speak about it?  It is imperative that the black community tackle this issue head-on.  We are contributing to our own demise by turning the other way.  It begins with us.  (Remember MJ’s Man in the Mirror?) If you live in Illinois, visit the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health’s website for more information on the many services offered to families and individuals who need help.  It is no longer harmless to say “she wild like her mama” or “he crazy like his daddy.”  Because mental illnesses are intergenerational, we have to explore why and what we are passing on to our children.  Did you know that stress is a form of mental disorder? And minority communities have the highest stress levels. We have to get past laughing at those with mental illnesses.  It is not funny to the families who have to deal with it and it shouldn’t be funny to us.  The negative images of Maia that are circulating should not be laughed and jeered at.  Those who take pleasure in watching it should really arm themselves with information on the different factions of mental disorders.  Her spiraling downfall is not our entertainment, but rather a wake-up call for our community to address this problem and no longer sweep it under the rug.  I will say that I am glad to see black publications and healthcare professionals over the past year are campaigning to raise awareness on the issues of stress and mental illness in the black communities.  The suffering that Maia is going through is only a snapshot of the reality of what is going on in our backyards – she represents many of our family members.  Maia Campbell does not deserve to be laughed and leered at. She deserves our prayers and our help.  We owe it to her, her late mother and to ourselves.

Below is a statement released by Maia’s family:

Our hearts have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love that so many of you have freely displayed in the past several days about our beloved Maia C. Campbell. Our spirits have been lifted by your words of support and your acts of kindness and we have been encouraged to continue our efforts to assist our daughter and granddaughter to become whole again.

As a family, we have been struggling with Maia in her illness for quite some time. We continue to hold fast to our faith and hope that some day she will realize that healing will begin when she decides to reach out and accept the help and treatment that have been offered to her. We all have challenges in life that we must face, but when compound problems such as mental illness and substance abuse are prevalent, it can appear that there is no way out. However, our sustaining faith and trust in God compels us to believe differently. We strongly believe that Maia will be healed.

We also know that Maia’s mother, the late Bebe Moore Campbell, who devoted much of her later years in life to mental health awareness and education, along with her family members and friends would welcome your prayers and support for Maia’s sustained recovery. In addition, we urge your support for efforts to diagnose and treat mental illness in our community.

We ask that you not only pray for Maia’s wellness, but also commit to understanding this insidious disease, which is devastating our loved ones and community. Help erase the “stigma” of mental illness, which is a very serious barrier to treatment, so that we can help those with the disease to live wholesome lives. Call for more treatment options and prevention strategies, have compassion for those stricken with this illness, and help guide those who have been unable to find their way to appropriate treatment. Additionally, support those families who are struggling to cope with loved ones with the disease because mental illness affects the entire family.

Finally, we ask that you support Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which was established by Congressional Resolution, H. Con. Res. 134, in April 2008, and is celebrated during the month of July each year. It was established to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially within minority communities. Please join us in this effort to bring attention to this problem, to identify resources and to strengthen the focus on treatment along with research relative to minorities and mental illness. This is the work that we continue on behalf of Bebe Moore Campbell.

Let us move forward, face our challenge, and turn that challenge into victory and a celebration of life.

To God be the Glory,

Sincerely,

Ellis Gordon Jr., Father
Doris C. Moore, Grandmother

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