July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, but how much do you know about the Black woman who inspired its creation? Before mental health became a mainstream conversation, Bebe Moore Campbell used her voice to challenge the silence surrounding mental illness – particularly in Black communities. Her books often explored issues of race, family and mental health, including “72 Hour Hold,” a novel centered on a mother navigating her daughter’s mental health crisis. In 2008, Congress officially designated July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to increase awareness of mental health challenges facing underserved communities and promote access to care. Instead, she showed that telling the truth about mental health could be an act of healing, advocacy and change.