Born This Way Foundation and the office of the Sen. Laphonza Butler come to Dominguez Hills for a conversation echoing the importance of mental health
When Cynthia Germanotta’s daughter, Stefani, was younger and struggling with her mental health, she thought going for a walk together might help. Although Stephanie enjoyed the walk and thought it was lovely, she told her mom that wasn’t what she had needed. What Stefani really needed, her mother said, was resources to help support her mental health.
Stefani Germanotta, of course, is now known to millions of people worldwide as the singer and pop icon Lady Gaga, whose chart-topping songs like “Born This Way” have encouraged and inspired fans around the globe to believe in and love themselves. Meanwhile, her mother was inspired to use her daughter’s experience to launch a campaign to highlight the importance of quality mental health care.
That campaign was front and center at the Innovation & Instruction Building on Feb. 22, when CSUDH hosted a town hall in partnership with the Born This Way Foundation, an organization founded by Lady Gaga and her mother that works to support wellness initiatives for young people. Cynthia Germanotta joined a panel of mental health advocates to explain why it’s important to take care of what’s happening on the inside just as much as what’s happening on the outside.
The event kicked off with remarks by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham, who introduced the U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler as a special guest. Parham described Butler as “a voice with uncompromised clarity.”
Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in October to fill the seat of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in September at the age of 90. Butler’s visit on Thursday was the first by a sitting U.S. senator since 1977, when President Joe Biden stopped by campus as the junior senator of Delaware.
Butler has been working with the Born This Way Foundation to raise awareness of mental health issues and promote access to resources at schools across the state.
She called CSUDH “one of the most diverse schools” in the state, one that is producing educators, scientists, and leaders (she cited Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass – both Toro alumni).
“I am at Dominguez Hills not to make history, but to make a difference,” Butler said. Butler then introduced Ashley Tahay, a spoken word poet of the slam poetry group Get Lit, who performed her piece, “What Good is Speaking?”
During the discussion, panelists reflected on their respective journeys and struggles with mental health. Panelists observed that there still exists stigma around the topic of mental health, even if conversations about it are becoming common.
“My experience, I think, familiarity is very strong,” said panelist and CSUDH student Da’Mohntae Walker. “They want to be around people who know exactly what you are going through.”
“In high school I went up to my teacher because he saw that I was struggling, and he encouraged me to get help, and that help is essentially what saved my life,” said panelist and mental health activist Meera Varma. “Finding strength in your own voice and realizing that your voice is your power, and showing up and being there for someone it’s what saves a life.”
Moderator Juan Acosta, a mental health activist and former reporter for Channel Kindness, a digital platform created by the Born This Way Foundation. It is a safe place for young people to tell their stories of kindness. It also highlights the people and organizations that are doing good in their communities.
Acosta said that the Born This Way Foundation has resources to help students feel a sense of control and confidence as they work to address any struggles. Acosta emphasized the importance of storytelling as a way of destigmatizing mental health.
“It’s important for us to share our stories so that other people feel comfortable enough to share their own,” Acosta said. “The Born This Way Foundation also has the ‘Be There’ certificate and it helps people understand what to look for when people are struggling and how to ask for help.”
Panelist Elektra Aida, a representative for the nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy group ProjectQ, said they pushed for gender-neutral facilities in their high school. Aida also lauded the kindness programs promoted by the Born This Way Foundation.
“Peer to peer support, really is supporting people in the community,” Aida said. “I think the Born This Way Foundation pushing kindness as a way to do that, I think it’s a good way to implement that.” Aida added that even though it can be difficult to reach out to people going through a tough situation, just trying to make the connection is important.
“I know reaching out to people can be pretty scary, it is something that I even struggle with now,” Aida said. “Try to reach out in any way you can, even if it is little steps forward to having the bigger conversations you want to have.”
