Alliance Note: Here is an updated version of yesterday’s posting in which a number of additional dear friends, colleagues and admirers joined to mark the date of beloved leader and friend Celia Brown’s passing last year.
Honoring Celia Brown on the First Anniversary of Her Passing
One year later, remembrance of our final conversation brings greater joy than sorrow to my heart. Even in your darkest hour, you were still speaking your mind and calling the shots. As fierce an advocate as you were, you also knew the art of “playing nice” often exclaiming, “Hon, you know this is political and that’s how it works in government.” Then you would chuckle and go about working your global agenda as though there were no barriers. You always laughed at how I characterized you-and I still do-which keeps your ebullient spirit alive and with us. I feel you are one of the people I will meet again one day in another realm. Rest eternally, my friend. Always, Jonathan P. Edwards (JPE 81163)
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In memory!!! Celia, you will forever be one of my heroes! You walked this earth as a Mother Queen to many of us whom you embraced; you shared Wizdom, you put us in “our place“ when needed or reminded us where we came from! Celia your love and commitment to family and people… especially to advocacy for lived experience, disability rights, anti-racism, psych survivors movements here and internationally, … and much more!! Your legacy lives on! Peace! Chyrell Bellamy, Yale PRCH; Surviving Race!
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My last conversation with Celia was on Thanksgiving 2022 when we both had a chance to express our gratitude for each other. Of course, I was also giving her updates and having so much fun together celebrating how well Ghana was doing against Portugal in the World Cup that day!
The week before, Celia was supporting me as I traveled to be with my father during his emergency health issues and while we both grappled with how to respond to renewed efforts to force treatment on people who were unhoused in New York City.
She would always ask me about our plans and steps toward organizing a way to make sure people of color in our movement would know of each other and our history together. Celia and Laverne Miller were the first nationally recognized women of color in our psychiatric survivor movement I got to know personally. They both took turns and the time to selflessly mentor me and many other young people of color to embrace visible leadership opportunities in the movement. Celia would affirm and validate my existence at every opportunity, even telling others about me, since at least 1999 when I moved to Albany to work for NYAPRS. She would most often, however, find herself defending me against myself – she knew my own self judgement and limiting beliefs about my worth and capacity was my greatest challenge.
I hope she would be grateful to know we did start the Black Movement Leaders Project, making it possible to celebrate and know about the emerging, current, and historic Black leaders of our movement.
My deepest condolences to everyone who grieves and celebrates Celia, especially Jocelyn, Kevin, and her whole family, whom I know she loved so dearly.
Chacku (he,him) Mathai; Principal Investigator/Project Director at Center for Practice Innovations at Columbia University
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Celia had this way of making everyone feel special, and in her company, I always felt seen and heard. You could be in the middle of a conference with 400 people and there’d be Celia, looking you in the eye and calling you “Hon.” A firebrand when it came to social justice, she was nonetheless gentle with everyone, even if you knew that something had stirred her emotions. I can’t even count the times I saw Celia talking patiently and intently with someone and this could go on for hours, she never ran out of steam. I am deeply grateful to have been a part of the Surviving Race Dialogues and to have spent that time in Savannah with her and Kevin and other friends, colleagues., and allies. She had such a knack for bringing people together even amidst the chaos that was COVID. Celia, you are greatly missed.
Gita Enders, LMSW, MA, CPRP, NYCPS Director of Peer Services Office of Behavioral Health NYC Health + Hospitals
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It’s hard to imagine that a year has already passed since the loss of Celia. When I think of her, I think of how it felt to be able to count on her support. She showed up for the right things at the right times.
I appreciate that she was approachable always and formidable as necessary. Despite sitting at tables of power where she may have at times been the solitary voice for the recovery community, she said what needed to be said and kept it moving.
I also appreciate the time she made for the peer community on the grass roots level. She came at the invitation of a Peer staff member to a local community meeting bringing the message of hope and recovery and inspiring the community to speak up and speak out. I appreciate this opportunity to reflect on what I knew about Celia’s life, to celebrate her walk which was powerful and to express gratitude to have known such a person. Her legacy lives on. Marguerite Gayle, Alliance for Rights and Recovery, Cultural Competence Committee Co-Chair
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Celia was an inspiration. More than anyone she could reach across differences in our movement, both around diversity of background and beliefs. She did this by being ever respectful, listening to all voices and coming up with shared beliefs. She also turned her anger into fierce advocacy which had a huge impact. Dan Fisher, Vice President of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery Board of Directors; Co-Founder, Consultant, National Empowerment Center
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I can’t remember the first time I met Celia. Honestly, she’s the type of person you’re just grateful to know exists in this world. It has been a privilege to partner with Celia on too many projects to name. Her passion and commitment to doing what was right (but not necessarily easy) always inspired me. As government workers we are too often reminded of the barriers and limitations we face in meeting the needs of the people we serve. Celia found a way to push past those limitations and inspired myself and so many others to be catalysts for change. I especially cherish the time I spent working with her to support Surviving Race. The fight for equity and social justice is painful, uncertain, and at times all consuming. Celia understood the struggle of the work and the need for hope, passion, and kindness. I miss her dearly and have such gratitude for her love, support, and mentorship. Rest in Power Celia! Teena Brooks Assistant Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)- NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
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The first time that I met Celia was shortly after I was hired as the director of the Howie the Harp Peer Specialist Training Center in 1996. Celia had helped hold down things at the Center following the untimely death of Howie the Harp.
Celia educated me about the consumer movement and the importance of the Center to our community. I was new to the movement and her perspective help guide me during those early years. She was generous with her time and support.
About 4 years ago when I was experiencing some indecision about my career, I reached out to Celia. We talk about 2 hours hours just talking about the early dreams that we both had for the Center and the Center’s accomplishments. She also reassured me that there was still some important work for me to do. I needed to hear this.
Celia was a peacemaker. I never heard her say a negative thing about anyone. She always encouraged us all to resolve our differences and to work together. She helped build bridges.
The last time that I saw and spoke with Celia was at the 2022 conference. We hugged and I am so grateful that I was able to let her know how important she was to me and to all of us.
Celia has left behind a giant legacy and her memory is a blessing for all of us.
LaVerne Daisy Miller, JD Director , Transitional Services for New York
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Taken two years ago at the NYAPRS Conference. I cherish the time we spent together at lunch when she revealed her physical condition to me. Celia always invited me to her NYC conferences to speak, do a workshop, and always get together after the conference with a group of others for dinner, often to go to a New York play which I can’t name but could tell you where we sat. Always it was a play with an issue, once a play focused on abortion after which we stood listening to strong feminists. Celia always supported my focus on the arts. On my wall I have a beautiful blue placque she gave me for being a “mother” of the movement. It was in 2014. Joe Rogers was in the back of the room and I remember him making a comment about retiring but never stopping the work. Celia was a person you can remember for the clarity of her voice, her mannerisms, her smile, her laugh! Gayle Bluebird, Artist and Movement Leader
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I first met Celia through my very first statewide Regional Advisory Committee meeting at the Prince George Hotel in Manhattan in March 2009. I only lived in NYC for 5 months and I barely knew anything about peer support and the peer movement in general. I was impressed from day 1 with Celia’s professionalism and kind heart. Whenever she spoke, she carried herself with respect for others and treated all she came across with dignity, even in disagreement. She was willing to listen to others. She taught me how to be an advocate with assertiveness and compassion. She was willing to take me on as a mentor, along with Digna. What an awesome communicator, collaborator, and colleague! A pioneer and champion for peer support and mental health. Rest in peace and power, Celia Brown!
Rev. Dr. Phillip Fleming, CRPA-5388 and NYCPS-P-3522
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I first had the pleasure of meeting Celia in 1995 when we were both appointed as the initial members of the Recipient Affairs Committee. Little did we know then that we were embarking on two remarkable journeys simultaneously – the journey of parenthood and the journey of advocating for recipients’ rights. Throughout those early years, Celia and I not only fulfilled our committee responsibilities but also shared in the incredible experience of raising our first children, born a month apart. This was no small feat, especially considering we were both working full-time jobs, which included much travel away from home. We often found solace in humor, joking about the prospect of our two little ones growing up, falling in love, and giving us a multitude of grandchildren. It was a whimsical thought at the time, as neither of us felt entirely prepared for parenthood, let alone grandparenthood!
Fast forward to today, and our children have grown into independent adults, now 28 years old. Celia was a relentless advocate, a fierce activist, and an inspiring embodiment of the idea that individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions can not only bring children into the world but also be loving, supportive, and remarkable parents.
This memory carries a profound message of hope for our peers. It serves as a testament that we can lead fulfilling lives filled with joy, love, hope, and pride, even as we grapple with the challenges of living with mental health conditions.
Perhaps even more important than that, and something I’m certain Celia would echo, is that Kevin should always be aware of just how much he was cherished, for there is no love greater than that of a mother for her child.
Kevin, please understand the immense inspiration your Mom has provided to countless people all over the world. She stands as proof that individuals can recover and lead full lives, with every expectation of love, being loved, and sharing the unwavering spirit of hope with everyone she encountered. Celia’s legacy is one of resilience, compassion, and boundless love, and it will forever shine as a beacon of hope for those who follow in her footsteps.
Ellen Healion, MA Director of NYAPRS Peer Bridger Services and TA
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I don’t know what to write about CB because there are so many times and things we did. When SARS CoV19 was declared by the World Health Organization a global public health pandemic emergency spread so quickly, CB was musing about how the community public mental health and peer supports sites would be shutting down. We talked about how horrible that would be for the homebound and others whose only day to day and frequent social contact was at peer wellness centers of care. Pretty quickly it was clear that something had to be done. I brought up creating the Surviving Race: Intersection of Injustice, Disability and Human Rights SARS COVID19 Community Care Peer Support Network. Within hours I had secured a global corporate sponsor who gave us use of their Emergency Kit+ to host f2f direct webinar and video capability to outreach to our compadres everywhere. In short order, and in 1-2 weeks, the SRCCPSN had established, was hosting and featuring the national Peer Leadership within forty-seven (47) volunteer national Certified Peer Specialists immediate programming to nullify what SARS COVID19 did to create quarantining and social, with community isolation.
When CB and I secured Open Excellence as our Primary Corporate Sponsorship in 21 for the Surviving Race Dialogues & Retreat 2022 in Historic Savannah with perfect supports from Jonathan P. Edwards, Sean Brennan, Teena Brooks, Taina Liang. The Dialogues & Retreat 23 is where I last said “bye” to Celia at the Hotel’s fountain, the two of us alone. I looked back when I turned the corner and Celia stood there where I’d left from, watching me leave.
That CB died a valiant death, so privately and safely with family, friends, loved ones, beloveds on December 11, 2023 makes my heart jump and it is hard to not have her here anymore. I miss her terribly.
I am grateful for knowing Celia Brown now and for always in friendship, in solidarity, in our fight for social justice with Surviving Race and in everything we did, it seems. She kept me alive emotionally and was my go-to at least 4 times a day during graduate studies at Valdosta State University. We’d have coffee together between 4-6 AM EST and begin work. I am eternally grateful to her for showing me gentleness, kindness in the face of refute, and strength of women, of friendship and as comrades. Jennifer Padron, CPS, M.ED, MSW Esperanza Isaac Hope Awardee | National Council for Mental Health Recovery 2020; Valdosta State University Dewar College of Education and Human Services Alheida B. Seever Scholarship Awardee 2021 – 2022
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We worked together on Surviving Race, immediately bringing responsive community programming online when news of the pandemic hit in 2019 and people were instructed to stay home, Celia’s deep voice resounded with a fiery hope and calm that everything would be alright and she steadily reassured everything would be taken care of. And it was, so many times, over and over again. What wasn’t okay, the violence that was being seen, she bravely called out and created dialog on many platforms, digital and analog. As Celia described in her 2022 keynote for ISPS-US: “It’s exhausting …the trauma …COVID. …disparities …grief …social isolation …it was difficult.” Yet, “We got through it. …Peers created their own support. We were able to survive and create alternative services.” She radiated such joy when she shared “I’m so proud of my son, Kevin.” And of peer support, she shared “My consciousness was raised and I was not going back. …The movement has done so much to get us here, to get me here and others where they want to go in the journey of their lives.” She imparted “Follow your dreams, they’ll show you the way!” Submitted by Laura Rose Emisaras
(Peer Support Facilitates Change. Celia Brown Keynote Presentation. 2022 ISPS-US National Conference in Sacramento, CA. 11/17/2022.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0z8aWg70Jw)
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At her last NYAPRS conference Celia came up to me and hugged me and put my hand in both of hers and said “you are the future of this movement.” She thanked me for all of the work being done. Even facing her own health struggles, Celia was thinking about the future and wanting the passion and people to continue. She was truly and pioneer and a leader 💜
Cherene Caraco, CEO/Chief Global Strategist; Promise Resource Network,
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I first met Celia in 2008 when I appeared out of nowhere as Moneer Zarou’s assistant at the Empowerment Center. Celia was so gracious- so giving of herself with her time, thoughts and mentorship to me as I struggled to fit into a space unlike the carceral environments I was used to. Here finally is someone I can emulate – someone I can look up to – full of passion and “black girl magic”, I thought to myself – One day I will grow up to be just like her!!! Helen Skip Skipper Executive Director – NYC Justice Peer Initiative
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The last time I had one on one time with Celia was sitting on a bench outside the hotel where she hosted the Surviving Race Savannah Dialogues and Retreat. Her last big dream brought to fruition so beautifully. I didn’t know at the time that it would be the last time one of her powerful acts of activism would bear fruit or that it would be the last time I would be sitting in her calming presence alone. Sitting together, Celia only wanted to know about my dreams and my work. She listened to my fears and only in the way that she could say the perfect thing. She always made me believe I could do anything. Fast forward to a year since this remarkable woman left us. When something hasn’t gone perfectly or whenever I start to doubt myself, or I have had a big or difficult decision to make. I stop, and ask myself what would Celia Brown do? Or WWCBD? And I hear her voice just as clear as day sitting on that bench in Savannah, Georgia. “Don’t let anything stop you or get in your way. Obstacles are just hurdles meant to be jumped over.” I miss her but with my question WWCBD? Celia is always with me and that is a cherished gift Sean Brennan, NYCP Program Manager Community Resource and Wellness Center Baltic Street Wellness Solutions
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I am so deeply moved by these remembrances of our dear Celia Brown. Her joi de vivre, her passion, her tenacity to advocate and educate for social justice, for humane approaches and progressive treatments and accessible resources, and her dedication to make the world a better place for everyone sets a standard for each of us. And I know that we, myself included, will continue to work towards the inclusive, collaborative and just world that she helped us move towards. I am forever grateful to have had her in my life as a friend and co-conspirator. Celia, I love you now, I will love you always.
lauren spiro former director National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (2002- 2009), co-founder Emotional CPR
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I have served on the Board of MindFreedom International since 2004. During all of that time, Celia was President. She went through some rough times, people accusing her of being unsuitable for that position because she worked for the New York Department of Mental Health. But she persisted. She was a constant source of steadfastness, wisdom and caring. When I would meet with her in New York, I would feel her caring and support. She served ably as President of MindFreedom until the day of her death. Thanks so much Celia. We miss you a lot. Al Galves
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I first met Celia at a NYAPRS (now the Alliance) conference many years ago. I later had the privilege of serving on the Mind Freedom International board with her and getting to know her better. Celia was a great leader and advocate for the rights of all people. I don’t know how she did all of the things that she did, and still have the time for others. She was never afraid to speak her mind but spoke it so well. Most importantly, though, Celia was about the kindest person I ever met. I will always honor the times she spent with me and the kindness she showed me.
Susan Musante, Recovery and Rehabilitation Resources
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Celia was always very supportive of me from a young age. I remember one time a number of budding youth leaders were upset with MindFreedom over not being as inclusive of our voices. Celia was patient and kind with me and the rest of us. She really listened and you could tell she cared about us. She was this way with everything. I miss her. Oryx Cohen, Executive Director, National Empowerment Center
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It is still so hard for me to conceive that Celia has passed. In my eyes, she was nothing less than a hero for everything she contributed to our movement, both in her official role at OMH and through her personal efforts to advocate against all forms of injustice. What made her all the more remarkable and unlike many other heroes, however, was how down to earth and accessible she was. I’ve often remarked that when I first met her (2012?), I was still learning our movement’s history and therefore didn’t appreciate her important place in it. All I knew was that this soft-spoken woman seemed very thoughtful and kind, which, of course, she was. Despite her unassuming demeanor, she was nevertheless memorable…something about the way she conducted herself just had a certain gravity to it.
I last saw Celia at the 2022 NYAPRS Conference, where I was so honored to be part of presenting her with the Sally Zinman Lifetime Achievement Award, for which I had nominated her. Clearly, I had figured out the significance of work by then! Characteristically, she received the nomination and award with gratitude and humility. When I informed her that she would receive it she told me it meant even more to her to hear it coming from me. This really blew my mind…for me the idea that the great Celia Brown, one of my heroes, would see me as being important somehow was almost laughable. Except for the fact that that’s exactly who she was. Her many accomplishments aside, she just knew how to make people feel seen…which is such a big part of what peer support is in the first place. May we never forget Celia’s lessons.
Jeremy Reuling, co-President, Board of Directors for the Alliance for Rights and Recovery; Program Coordinator for the Yonkers Mobile Crisis Response Team at People USA
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Attending and hearing Celia’s speech at the Peer Specialist Conference at Hunter College left a profound impression on me. I did not know a damn thing about mental unwellness due to my race and culture. And there was extreme stigma about mentally unwell people in crisis within the city agency(NYCPD) where I had worked for 15 years. Watching Celia standing up front and center changed my perspective. I saw a compassionate person who stood firm in her power and used her power for the highest good. She also knew that she could not do it by herself. Through the years, I have witnessed Celia’s unique ability to understand where a person was at and mentor them indirectly or directly. She helped change their perspective about themself. In essence, she wanted all of us to use our skills and experiences for the highest good. Prior to my recovery, I had forgotten that I was not afraid of change. I also forgot that I possessed the ability to navigate through the various challenges that come with change. I had forgotten that I possessed the ability to influence change among different stakeholders through my own voice. Celia helped me to remember this power.
May Celia’s legacy continues to inspire and encourage others to use their skills and experiences for the highest good.
Celia, may your beautiful soul rest in peace. Rachel Saloman, Community Mental Health Advocate
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Celia was and will always be one of our movement’s most cherished and most influential leaders, a very kind, devoted, determined and humble leader who led the way in the advancement of rights-based advocacy, peer support, trauma informed approaches, cultural competence and humility, peer specialist roles and numerous efforts to combat racism and discrimination.
She was a long-time leader in the consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement who was introduced to the civil rights movement early in her childhood by her family’s experience and role in the struggle.
She was a founding member of the National People of Color/Consumer Survivor Network and following the deaths of people of color across the nation due to deadly force of police, she helped to create Surviving Race: The intersection of Injustice, Disability and Human Rights in 2014 to explore the intersections between race and disability in the human rights movement.
Celia’s advocacy on behalf of people with psychiatric and other disabilities spanned the globe. Celia served as President of the Board of MindFreedom International, served as their main representative to the United Nations and collaborated with other disability organizations on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. She traveled to Finland, New Zealand and Geneva and marched on the roads of Ghana, West Africa to lift the stigma and disenfranchisement of Ghanians with disabilities to change its laws.
For a great many years, Celia served as the Regional Advocacy Specialist at the NYC Field Office, NYS Office of Mental Health, providing technical assistance and support to people with psychiatric disabilities and their families and facilitating trainings on peer support, wellness, and recovery approaches in community mental health agencies.
Celia was a humble but powerful changemaker and truthteller, whose love, kindness and inspiration touched everyone she met. She was both a Mother of our Movement and she was a very dear friend to me. Her legacy will live forever. Every time, we stand up for recovery and peer support and march for choice, rights and social justice….Celia will be there.