Representation, Collaboration, And Cultural Competence.
About Us
The WNY Black Wellness Directory addresses the unique challenges confronting Black communities. Our professional Black healthcare providers offer a full range of mental, physical and emotional health therapies and services for every age and stage of life. Working together, we are increasing the visibility of Black healthcare professionals, removing stigmas surrounding treatment, and aligning clinicians and providers with a supportive community of colleagues.
The Black Wellness Resource Directory is Born from the ashes of tragic events and profound community trauma.
On May 14, 2022, a racist mass shooting at a Tops Friendly Market on Buffalo’s East Side claimed the lives of ten African American residents and injured three others.
In December 2022, a four-day blizzard with hurricane-force winds, whiteout conditions, and wind chill temperatures that reached 30 degrees below zero claimed the lives of 47 Erie County residents. A disproportionate two thirds of those who died in the storm were Black, a direct result of failed power substations and a slow response to restoring services in East Side Black neighborhoods already burdened by economic hardships and limited resources.
These events demonstrated the vital and urgent need for culturally responsive mental health resources and community healing.
The Buffalo Chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers (BABSW) stepped up to the challenge. Committed to enhancing the quality of life and empowering people of African ancestry through advocacy, human services delivery and research, BABSW leadership (Dior Lindsey-Virgil, LMSW and Karen Williams, LCSW CASAC) worked with Karl Shallowhorn, who works with the Mental Health Association of NYS, to secure state funding and partnered with Shantelle Patton, owner of That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory, to create WNY’s Black Wellness Resource Directory.
The Black Wellness Resource Directory is a project of:
Buffalo Chapter of the Black Social Workers Association
The Buffalo Chapter of the Association of Black Social Workers was conceived in 1968 as a vehicle for change; to advocate, support, and nurture the Black Community in Buffalo, NY. Responsive churches and human service organizations were sites of regular meetings, linking professional and grassroots responses. Many of the reviewed issues and response strategies evolved from the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, The War on Drugs, and other similar social movements. The Chapter reorganization occurred in 1988, with State and National representation.
The Black Wellness Resource Directory initiative was conceived and spearheaded by executive board members of the Buffalo Chapter of the Black Social Workers Association (BABSW) Dior Lindsey-Virgil-LMSW and Karen Williams LCSWR-CASAC. Working with their partners, BABSW leadership obtained NYS grant funding and continues to develop community partnerships for the Directory.
BABSW is dedicated to Advocacy, Community Education, Access to Mental Health Services, Training/CEUs for Social Workers, Mentorship, Support for Black Students in the field of Social Work (and similar fields) and Networking.
That Brown Bag Business Association
Shantelle Patton is founder and owner of The Brown Bag Business Association (BBBA), a dynamic and inclusive organization that offers a valuable pipeline of tips, information, and resources to its esteemed members.
Through innovative initiatives and an understanding of the unique challenges faced by entrepreneurs of color, the BBBA strives to provide unparalleled support and networking opportunities, fostering growth and success in the diverse landscape of Black-owned businesses.
Karl Shallowhorn, M.S., CASAC
Karl Shallowhorn was an early champion and advocate for the Black Wellness Resource Directory, helping to secure funding and support.
Shallowhorn’s work with the Mental Health Association of NYS focuses on mental health in marginalized and disenfranchised communities across the Region, promoting collaborative initiatives to advance and improve behavioral health services. He previously worked with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
With Gratitude
On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in a Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black/African-American community in East Buffalo. The shooting left 10 people dead and three wounded, making it one of the deadliest racially motivated mass shootings in recent American history. The mass shooting devastated the East Buffalo community, which has been in a cycle of discrimination, poverty, and neglect for decades.
Research has found that mass shootings can lead to an array of mental health problems in survivors and members of affected communities. In response, the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH) implemented a SAMHSA Emergency Response Grant (SERG) Program that provided mental health and wellness services to East Buffalo from September 16, 2022 to September 15, 2024. The Buffalo SERG Program was named “Reimagine: I am The Change!” to establish an empowering and recognizable identity in East Buffalo.
With Gratitude and Appreciation
The Black Wellness Resource Directory was inspired by early leaders of the National Association of Black Social Workers.
NABSW was created during the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement on May 29, 1968 in San Francisco, California by a group of Black Social Workers who were convened for the National Conference on Social Welfare, the largest professional social work organization at the time. This group of Black Social Workers disengaged from that meeting to form what has ultimately become the foremost advocacy group established to address social issues and concerns of the Black community. Those Black Social Workers ultimately became the founders of the National Association of Black Social Workers.
NABSW’s vision which is guided by the seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, and include Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith, and the Seven Cardinal Virtues of Ma’at, which are Right, Truth, Justice, Order, Reciprocity, Balance, and Harmony.