The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation Announces the 2023 Joy Award Winners
Mental health and wellness are certainly not new concepts, but a different conversation is entering the fray for Black communities nationwide.
Founded by actress Taraji P. Henson in 2018 in honor of her father, a Vietnam vet who suffered mental health challenges without support, The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BHLF) is committed to improving mental health in Black communities by building culturally competent programs and education nationally. Since its inception, the foundation has made significant inroads in changing the way people of color think and manage mental health.
This year, the BLHF is shedding light on the mental health crisis specifically affecting Black youth by allowing students the platform to share how they cope with life’s ups and downs, while also inspiring their peers. The BLHF also celebrates those frontline workers from the community who provide support to these young people as they navigate their stressors. Experts also share insights and have conversations about changing the narrative around mental health.
Earlier this summer, the BLHF and BET joined forces on National Black Mental Health Professional Day (June 3) to celebrate the annual Joy Awards, highlighting the work and dedication of 10 mental health professionals who provide programs and resources that promote, honor, and destigmatize mental health in the Black community. The finalists (plus four youth award winners) were selected based on their commitment to eradicating the stigma around mental health through work that lights a new path to wellness for Black patients.
As a result, these mental health experts were each awarded a $10,000 prize from the BLHF to utilize at their discretion. BET.com asked each of these mental health advocates, operating in the form of certified therapists, social workers, healers, coaches, and more, about their methods and how they plan to further cultivate therapeutic environments that will help our communities thrive.
Standing in need of more joy in the world, here are their detailed plans for how $10,000 will allow them to actualize joy for themselves and for others.
Aleese S. Flunder, MA, MHC-P
Organization: Vines Talk Healing
Profession: Mental Health Counselor / Owner / Mental Health Advocate / Author
City/State: Buffalo, New York
Social Media Handle: @vinestalkhealing
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy is a state of being; it becomes you. Joy is the result of healing. Once Joy becomes you, you become contagious with Joy, hoping it affects everyone you encounter like a gentle breeze."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "Winning the award has allowed me to pay off some credit cards that I used to get my business up and running. This award is the first grant I have received since opening my private practice. Mental health services saved me after experiencing my own traumas. It is so fulfilling to show my people that we can excel and not just 'survive.'"
Leah Frazier, Esq., CMT
Organization: Leah Heals
Profession: Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher / Sound and Reiki Healer
City/State: Dallas, Texas
Social Media Handle: @LeahHeals
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy allows us to navigate through pain when we're hurting, to tap into hope when we're hopeless, and to feel alive during the numbing of trauma. Joy is the medicine that allows us to heal."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "As an integrative health and wellness practitioner, I bring Joy to others through beautiful sound baths and vibrational sound experiences. I've used the prize money to deepen my practice with more sound healing tools and instruments, dive into more advanced training, and experience a five-day silent mindfulness retreat in Big Bear, California. Everything I do is so our community can access a wealth of healing modalities and reach their own wells of Joy."
Kayla LaShell Harley, BFA
Organization: The Beebodi Marketplace
Profession: Certified Optimal Life Breathologist / GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Trainer / Full Spectrum Doula / Motivation Speaker / Educator
City/State: Washington, D.C.
Social Media Handles: @beebodi @thegkbabe
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy is the pure expression of our highest and best-lived life, whether a moment, feeling, thought, or action. Joy is like a key that grants us access to all of life's possibilities. Joy is medicine."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "The Black community has a history of giving, often at the expense of ourselves. So, I used the funds toward my self-care regimen, which includes receiving IV Drip Therapy. It can be costly, but it works great for high performers. I also traveled abroad to an Arts Educators Conference, invested in promotional ads for my business, and paid off debt. And, ,I still have some funds left for the near future."
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Taryn Hill, MSW
Organization: High-Functioning Black Girls
Profession: Social Worker / Public Health Professional
City/State: Cincinnati, Ohio
Social Media Handles: @HfbgCommunity on X; @highfunctioningblackgirls on IG
What does Joy mean to you?: "To me, Joy means making peace with the past for what it was, accepting the present for what it is, and having hope that what's to come is promising."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "As someone who encourages Black women to prioritize rest, this award reminded me that I, too, need to practice what I stand for by using a portion of the funds to support my overall wellness. I will also use some funds to invest in my community to expand access to mental health care and wellness initiatives, one of the pillars of High Functioning Black Girls."
Jacqui Johnson, LPC, ATR-BC, CCMHC, PMH-C, RYT
Organization: Sankofa Healing Studio
Profession: Somatic Healing-Justice Art Therapist+
City/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Social Media Handle: @SankofaHealingStudio on IG
What does Joy mean to you?: "True Joy represents a sacred space where one can unapologetically be themselves and voice their truths. It's a connection to the deep-rooted ancestral wisdom and the pure, unadulterated Black Joy that flows from it."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "The prize money is instrumental in magnifying the reach and resonance of the Sankofa Healing Studio. It empowers us to enhance our workshops, extend our outreach, and ensure that more individuals experience healing from our specialized therapeutic services. For our grassroots nonprofit, the synergy of financial support and community engagement is pivotal, driving the transformative impact we seek to make in the lives we touch."
Benqueshya Milligan, MA
Organization: PBISRockStars, LLC
Profession: Certified Professional School Counselor / Supervised Mental Health Therapist / Mental Health Advocate
City/State: Atlanta, Georgia
Social Media Handles: @Pbisstars on X; @PBISRockstars on IG
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy is doing what God placed us here to do: to serve and love all mankind."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "By helping me build MENT-Ville, a fictional town open to all and racially inclusive. It provides a creative space for African Americans to feel comfortable conversing about mental health and wellness while networking and receiving resources such as information on mental health therapists and fitness instructors. From fashion shows to bowling, skating, and karaoke, we'll help you converse about mental health in a more comfortable space."
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Arron Muller, LCSW
Organization: Modify Wellness, Inc.
Profession: Social Worker / Therapist / Adjunct Professor / CEO
City/State: Queens, New York
Social Media Handle: @TheBlack_Therapist
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy is a positive emotion sparked by achieving a goal, spending time with family and friends, or witnessing someone achieve their goals. It's spending time with my wife and children and helping clients improve their mental wellness. Joy allows me to push through when I feel like giving up. It's deeper than happiness because it contributes to overall well-being. I thank God for Joy because no one can take that away from you."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "The prize will allow my family to spend time with each other and connect through a family vacation that exposes our children to different cultures. We are grateful."
Camille Proctor, MA
Organization: The Color of Autism Foundation
Profession: Nonprofit Executive Director
City/State: Detroit, Michigan
Social Media Handle: @ColorofAutism
What does Joy mean to you?: "Foundational happiness. The deep-seated contentment and well-being that comes from a life aligned with one's purpose, values, and community. It's not about perpetual positivity or the absence of challenges. Rather, it's about the resilience and strength to navigate life's ups and downs with a sense of meaning."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "Winning the BLHF Joy Award is an honor and a validation of our relentless efforts at the Color of Autism Foundation. This award recognizes our mission to provide culturally competent support for underserved communities. Future winners can see this as a sign that authentic, compassionate work does get acknowledged and a call to continue making a difference in the lives of those impacted by autism."
Lisa R. Savage, LCSW
Organization: The Center for Child Development and Clinicians of Color
Profession: Clinical Social Worker / Founder
City/State: Baltimore, Maryland
Social Media Handles: @CCDNewark on FB; @clinicians_of_color on TikTok
What does Joy mean to you?: "Joy means being free to create. It means being unbound by the expectations of others. I am most joyful when operating in my zone of genius, devoid of judgment and attachment to outcomes."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "I used the prize money to take my leadership team on a retreat along the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I gifted each person a basket of products to spark Joy and promote self-care. My paternal family is from the Eastern Shore, so being on my ancestral land grounds me and helps me to reconnect with the spirits of those who came before me."
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Martin Simms
Organizations: The Dope Coach Academy and Coaches for Mental Health
Profession: Neurosequential Sports Specialist / Sports-Based Professional & Youth Development Mental Health Consultant
City/State: Houston, Texas, and Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Social Media Handle: @Thedopestcoach
What does Joy mean to you?: "Being present enough to feel peace, happiness, and harmony in the moment, whether it's a memory, a dream, or an observation."
How will you use the prize money to actualize joy for yourself and others?: "The prize money allowed me to structure upcoming programs and handle some personal financial matters. It also helps me demonstrate mental health's importance and bring more attention and credibility to what I do. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be recognized for our work so we can make a bigger impact."
Youth Mental Health Advocates
In addition to the 10 Joy Award recipients this year, the Boris L. Henson Foundation also awarded four youth mental health advocates $2,500 each for their service in supporting and spreading joy in the Black community. Congratulations to this year's winners Olalekan Lawal, Tristen Olive. Heavyn O. Menelas, and Ryanna Willis.
