Julius Boatwright thinks it’s time for everyone to prioritize mental health
Julius A. Boatwright, the founding CEO of Steel Smiling, a mental health service provider for African American adults and youth, is much in demand these days.
With Pittsburgh and much of the nation locked down because of COVID-19, there are more stressors than ever on a community that experiences more disparities in health and mental resources than others during the best of times.
Mr. Boatwright, 36, recognizes these disparities and addresses them. “For us, it’s always been about meeting people where they are in every way possible,” the Beechview resident said.
“So we think about cultural -sensitivity and cultural-humility. There are a number of different traditional mental health agencies and organizations that reach out to [Steel Smiling] for help with that. They’re very explicit in saying to us that they lack that component in their repertoire.”
Growing up in Farrell, Pa., on the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, Mr. Boatwright knew early on that he wanted to be a mental health specialist.
“My friends and family always told me that I was a good listener with a caring spirit,” he said. “I always knew that my gifts would guide me into some role as a helping/healing professional.”
When his former roommate and best friend from their days at the University of Pittsburgh died by suicide, it catalyzed something for him. He wanted to better understand the systems, circumstances, and experiences that contributed to this tragedy.
To that end, Mr. Boatwright became a licensed master social worker and is certified in mental health first aid through the National Council for Behavioral Health. He also completed a trauma-informed community practice workshop through Duquesne University’s Department of Psychology and Rita McGinley Psychology Clinic.
He has a master of social work degree and a certificate in human services management from the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his undergraduate degree in communications.
A gifted storyteller whose demeanor is thoughtful and wellspoken, Mr. Boatwright’s natural friendliness has opened many doors, especially with people who have felt unseen by the mental
health sector.
“I try to be as transparent as possible,” he said. “As a black man, as a licensed social worker, as a mental health advocate, I’m very intentional about giving you the real Julius. From the corner store to the C-suite, I’m going to give you all of me.
“I’ve heard it in both of those spaces and everywhere in between: ‘You’re too vulnerable. You’re too transparent.’ Executives don’t show that type of vulnerability because as an executive you have to be firm, upright and stern.
“I’ve found that leaning in with empathy and compassion and gentleness opens people up and gives them permission to recognize their own humanity.”
Steel Smiling, founded in 2015, has a 2020 budget of $218,079, and a small staff. Some of the many local funders who have invested in Steel Smiling’s approach include Neighborhood Allies, the Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Opportunity Fund.
The organization’s programs are offered for free.
Allied with scholarly, grassroots and datacrunching organizations like the Urbankind Institute, 1Hood and the Center for Relational Change, Steel Smiling has a seat at the table with some of Pittsburgh’s most progressive and proactive organizations dedicated to positive change for black people in Pittsburgh.
Through recurring virtual town halls — like one held last week titled “What Black Pittsburgh Needs to Know About COVID-19” — Mr. Boatwright and leaders from those organizations are able to reach thousands with life-saving information about social distancing and its implications for the community’s health and welfare.
As important as imparting that information is, it is a detour from Steel Smiling’s primary mission.
“We’re a black, mental health, workforce development program,” Mr. Boatwright said. “I’ve had multiple conversations with potential investors, and they’ve asked, ‘Which one is it: a mental health support program, or a mental health workforce development program?’ It’s both. It can’t be one or the other.”
He said the organization is currently working with a group of 23 black adults from the Hilltop area of Pittsburgh, which includes neighborhoods like Beltzhoover, Arlington, Mount Oliver, Knoxville and Carrick. Meetings are held at senior centers, libraries and “other trusted spaces,” as he describes them.
“Before the current pandemic, everything we did happened in person,” he said. “Our entire organizational culture is about being in fellowship with each other, sharing our testimonies, and building on the mental health skills needed to support ourselves and our neighbors.”
That has had to change. Weekly mental health training sessions with cohort members are done via the online meeting program Zoom. Videos on mental health and wellness are shared every Wednesday on social media. Mr. Boatwright said they’re also working to connect people to mental health professionals who offer tele-mental health therapy sessions.
“When we emerge from this, we hope that people in every sector will begin prioritizing mental health and wellness,” he said. “Gone are the days of us not talking about how every facet of our lives is influenced and impacted by mental health in some way, shape or form.
“Employers must incorporate mental health protections into their human resource policies. Politicians must fight for mental health legislation when they’re in Harrisburg. Nonprofit organizations must include mental health trainings that are culturally sensitive for their team members.
“Adequate mental health support has to become a necessity for all and not just for some of us.”