Since George
Floyd’s death May 25 in Minneapolis, friends have been telling their own
stories to Carmen White Janak in Tulsa.
“Things that I never knew happened to them,” Janak
said Monday. “Things that they have been holding in for three, five, 10 years.”
To give others a similar chance to open up, Janak will
host a weekly online support group “for people dealing with the trauma and
stress related to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery
and the ongoing crisis in America,” according to the Mental Health Association
Oklahoma.
Janak has worked as a diversity, equity, and inclusion
speaker and non-denominational minister for more than 30 years, the association
said.
Weekly sessions will begin 7 p.m. June 15 with free
access through ZOOM. More details can be found at mhaok.org/supportgroups.
“A lot of times people just want to be heard,” Janak
said, “and know that somebody else is on the other side listening.”
For more immediate help, people can contact the Mental
Health Assistance Center at 918-585-1213, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m., or send emails to info@mhaok.org.
“I also want to spread the message that, yes, we
should be outraged and saddened by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. And, yes, we must stand together and protest so
tragedies like this never happen again,” said Mike Brose, CEO of the Mental
Health Association.
“In addition, for the sake of individuals, families
and communities across Oklahoma, our outrage and protests must stop short of
violence of any kind.”
About OrionNet Systems
OrionNet is an Oklahoma small
business founded in 2001. OrionNet has designed, developed and supported
applications created both for the client-server and web environments, as well
as developing, marketing and supporting a commercial application for the
counseling centers industry.
Visit the OrionNet Systems’
website, www.iorion.com, or
their social media pages, https://twitter.com/ThinkHealth & https://www.facebook.com/pages/OrionNet-Systems/139352156150090 for more information.
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