Equity & Engagement
Our Commitment to Equity
Lines for Life is committed to the support of all, and we recognize that in meeting the mental health needs of communities of color, one size does not fit all.
Lines for Life is aware that there are numerous threats to the mental health of communities of color including systemic oppression, racism, deportation, language barriers, and other forms of racism and racial trauma. As a result of these issues, there are crucial disparities in treatment options and outcomes.
We also recognize that the realities of social exclusion, marginalization and stigma often make the pathways to care more complex among people of color; therefore, we focus our programs to work with other community stakeholders to improve the mental health of communities of color.
Our goal is to provide culturally responsive mental health support that addresses the issues that directly affect communities of color.
Land Acknowledgement
Lines for Life would like to acknowledge that the land where our Gala occurs is the occupied homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualitin Kalapuya and Mollala tribes. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to the land where we gather.
Empowering Communities for Mental Wellness
Lines for Life develops and advocates for culturally responsive and affirming mental health care through training, research, referrals, development of capacity, and collaborations as well as consideration of the social determinants of health to facilitate more effective and equitable mental health treatment and support to meet the needs of diverse communities.
Our Equity programs rely on leadership, input, and feedback from communities of color. We’ve created our programs to meet the unique needs of underserved populations and grow community skills in dispelling stigma, identifying mental health needs, and intervening in a crisis.
Racial Equity Support Line
Our Racial Equity Support Line was created to address the emotional impacts of racism including work issues, micro-aggressions, police interactions and the many other problems that people of color face daily. The helpline is answered by mental health professionals that are part of the community and have lived experience as people of color.
Speaking to someone who understands based on personal experience allows a kind of connection that is essential to providing direct support. Our counselors will work with you to find resources and other options tailored to your situation, location, and financial ability.
Learn more about the Racial Equity Support Line and get help today
Community Partnerships & Advocacy
Our Community Engagement initiatives are built from trusting relationships with community organizations. Collaboration with cultural advocates, community leaders and stakeholders allow us to learn from the communities we serve and collect feedback to inform future services and policies.
Join us as we advocate for community and systems change to improve mental healthcare for communities of color.
Learn more about our work with community partners
Building Skills & Safe Spaces for Mental Health
Lines for Life offers customized training and workshops on a variety of topics that are designed by professionals and deal with the issues people of color face every day. Culturally appropriate mental health training is integral to recognizing and responding to mental health crisis.
In communities of color, spaces for mental wellness and support exist – often without being named “mental wellness.” For example, barbers and hairstylists often play listener and support roles to their clients.
Lines for Life offers “Barbershop” Mental Health First Aid, a training providing culturally responsive tools and resources to talk about mental health and substance abuse in Black and Brown communities. We are helping barbers and hairstylists in Portland recognize crisis and support mental wellness – bringing the skills and tools closer to the community in the places people already gather.
Contact us to inquire about culturally-specific training opportunities
Meet the Equity Team
Darryl P. Turpin, MPA, CADC
Director of Equity & Cultural Engagement
Darryl brings 30 years of expertise in clinical services, equity, and community engagement to our organization. Darryl works to ensure that Lines for Life works through an equitable and culturally responsive lens so that all communities of color can have access to mental health resources that are relatable and accessible.
Yoli Flores
Neighborhood Empowerment Manager
Yoli is a critical advocate for mental health education in the Spanish speaking community. As a bilingual, bicultural woman of color with a background in public health, she emphasizes the need for trust and rapport in this work. Yoli connects with Spanish-speaking communities on a personal level and promotes understanding and acceptance around mental health culture.
Derric Thompson
Community Advocate / Community Health Worker
Derric Thompson is the Executive Director of Five Star Goods, an organization that works with young adults through mentoring, providing employment, and promoting wellness. He is also the co-director of Leaders Become Legends, an organization dedicated to providing mentorship through employment that helps create leaders in the community, most recently in the clean energy field. Derric volunteers countless hours in the community and sits on the board of the Rosewood Initiative, a community resource center. Derric is a certified MRT Facilitator, trauma-informed behavioral therapy with a strong emphasis on culture and mental health.
Mike “Bretto” Jackson
Community Advocate / Community Health Worker
Mike “Bretto” Jackson works for POIC in the Community Healing Initiative/Elevate program where he mentors African American gang-impacted and formerly incarcerated young adults through culture, wellness, career-oriented employment, and introspection of self. He is also the co-director of Leaders Become Legends, an organization dedicated to providing mentorship through employment that helps create leaders in the community, most recently in the clean energy field. As a Lines for Life Cultural Advocate, Bretto hopes to help foster a better future through inspiring young adults to help others through a trauma-informed model of care.
Kennedy Luddington
Cultural Engagement Coordinator
As a project coordinator for internal equity initiatives and projects with external partners, Kennedy assists with alignment and organization across all equity-focused programs.