Copeland Center Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Copeland Center is a multi-racial, multi-generational, multi-linguistic, multi-gender, and multi-disability team that shares the belief that everyone deserves safe and welcoming places to share and heal. 90% of the people in our community are defined as people with serious mental illness - we are not a community that benefits from labels of dire predictions. Our community and our work is all about diversity, equity, and inclusion because we are people who have historically been excluded because of mental health diagnosis. We are actively working toward disrupting stigma and creating the healing spaces of inclusion. We shepherds a network of thousands of peer facilitators who we define as peers in wellness - these folks represent the diversity in the US, particularly engaging people who have experienced intergenerational trauma connected to slavery, marginalization, and economic deprivation as people who are more likely to receive a serious diagnosis because of embedded white supremacy in our medical system and the ongoing effects of trauma. While our network is diverse, one example of our equity-driven approach is to directly address health disparities for historically marginalized communities by increasing access to culturally relevant services in areas where access to care is a major barrier. The Copeland Center has created opportunities to train leaders from historically marginalized communities with lived experience to deliver evidence-based mental health practices. This expands support inside and outside systems of care including into churches and mosques, community centers, veteran’s affinity groups, homeless shelters, and other non-traditional locations where people gather.