Good mental health requires a sense of belonging, and within that, the freedom to hold and be proud of your own identity within the spaces where you connect with others.

As a charity that supports good mental health – and the social change needed to make that a reality for more people – Black History Month is something we’re keen to see highlighted, not just for these few weeks, but beyond too.

The theme for BHM this year is ‘Reclaiming narratives’ – understanding the complex histories of Black people and communities within the UK; the contributions, celebrations, hardships and identities that exist within those stories. For us, as we work to understand perceptions of mental health, these narratives are essential – the threads of Black history are woven throughout our national story. The idea of ‘community’, as the space where we feel accepted and whole, cannot fully be told without Black voices.

But that sense of community requires inclusion. At Platfform, we’ve worked to become an anti-racist organisation, a Platfform for all, but that work is still ongoing. Representation within our organisation needs to improve – not just for its own sake, but because understanding mental health fundamentally requires as many different identities and perspectives as possible. Mental health is a universal human concern.

We’ll keep that work going. In the meantime, we’re excited to see narratives being reclaimed, identities formed, and voices heard. Community is where we assemble, as our individual selves within a greater shared whole. It’s where change begins.

Find out more: blackhistorymonth.org.uk