2020, so far, has been a year of drastic change. Some good, but a lot scary, different, and uncertain. Compounding the global Coronavirus pandemic have been nearly three months of protests surrounding the unjust deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and countless others, from police brutality and systemic racism. The change being asked for is coming, sometimes in drips, sometimes in waves. But the fight is difficult, especially for Black women and girls who are often cast in the role of savior, even though all of us should be doing our part to achieve the transformative change our country needs. Bearing this burden takes a toll.
While Black Americans are 20% more likely to develop mental health problems than the general population, only a quarter of black Americans seek help (40% of white people do). Besides the stigma of mental health, many Black Americans, especially Black women, cite cost and, more significantly, not being able to find a therapist who understands their life and experience as major factors.
The Loveland Foundation is looking to change all that. Founded in 2018 by activist and educator Rachel Cargle, the Loveland Foundation provides pathways for women of color, and especially Black women and girls, to access affordable, culturally competent mental health services. Cultural competency means that the therapist will be able to understand your problems without you having to defend your own actions or go into a long explanation about what it means to be Black or Asian or Cuban or Muslim or Jewish or gay or trans in this world. And cultural competency can often be the difference between therapy being a productive and safe space for a patient or yet another space where they don’t feel understood.
Through the therapy fund, which provides financial assistance for 4 to 8 therapy sessions for each recipient, as well as other programs, the Loveland Foundation seeks to end the stigma about mental health and empower women and girls in the communities they serve.
We at Fred and Far have not watched these past months of protests and demands for systemic change idly. We want to contribute to the cause, to showing that we believe Black Lives Matter. So we brought back one of our favorite products: the Pinky Promise Pin. It stands for the promise we make to everyone in our Self Love Sisterhood and beyond: to lift ourselves and each other up through self-love, sisterhood and meaningful action. The Pinky Promise Pin is two pins - either both for you, or one for your bestie who is as committed as you are to both self-love and social justice for all.
We are re-releasing this pin to support our sisters of color, and to say to them (as the Loveland Foundation does), “We see you, we hear you, and we are invested in your healing.” 50% of all profits from the Pinky Promise Pin will be donated to the Loveland Foundation through the end of 2020. Self-love and self-care are for everyone. And Fred and Far, both as a company and community, is committed to breaking down barriers and ensuring everyone can get the help they need.