by Feliks Garcia, Offsite Editor
“This is NOT a white person’s disease,” writes Dior Vargas as part of the People of Color & Mental Illness Photo Project. The objective of the project is to change how mental illness is covered in media; people of color with mental illnesses are rarely represented.
To remedy this, the photo project brings together a variety of different faces, different genders, declaring there is #NoShame and #NoStigma. Vargas accepts photo submissions from people of color sharing their stories of their struggle with depression, PTSD, OCD, and many other mental illnesses, proving there is strength in numbers.
In the Huffington Post Vargas wrote, “We have to acknowledge that people experience mental illnesses differently so we can find a solution, otherwise the solution will be centered on the needs of white people which has been the case all along.”
People of color interested in participating in the People of Color & Mental Illness Photo Project are encouraged to submit a portrait of themselves holding a sign that reads, “I’m [your name] and I have a mental illness (or the exact type).” Participants are, of course, welcome to include whatever information they are comfortable with sharing. The portrait itself should be shot from waist or shoulders up, in .jpg form, and sent to [email protected].
To see more of the project, or to submit a photo, please visit Dior Vargas’ website.