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If your mom, grandma and aunties were fans of Black fiction back in the day, then Bebe Moore Campbell was among the icons—with her work being a mainstay on any reading list in the ‘90s. Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine, Singing in the Comeback Choir, Brothers and Sisters—those books lined our living room shelves like sacred texts.

Meanwhile, I was glued to the TV, obsessed with Maia Campbell—Bebe’s stunning daughter—adding sauce to ‘90s TV hits like In the House and South Central. For so many of us Black tweens and teens at the time, Maia wasn’t just a celebrity—she was the moment. And Bebe? She was our mothers’ favorite storyteller, the writer who gave voice to their pain, their joy, and the inner battles no one else acknowledged.


But behind those glossy pages and primetime roles was a much harder story—a mother watching her daughter struggle with bipolar disorder in a system not built to empower Black women with mental health challenges. When Maia’s mental health began to unravel publicly, years later, Bebe didn’t shrink from the spotlight—she used it. She shared the heartbreak, the fight to find real help, and the failures of a system that too often fails Black families.

In 2008, two years after Bebe’s death, the U.S. House of Representatives officially declared July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was the culmination of her tireless work—founding NAMI-Inglewood, writing about mental illness in 72 Hour Hold, and taking her advocacy to Capitol Hill.

She taught us that healing is communal, not private—and that silence helps no one.

So this July, in honor of a woman who gave so much to our mothers and to us, take time to prioritize your peace, your rest, your healing. And if you’re looking for a place to start, here are a few powerful books on self-care and emotional well-being to carry you through this month—and beyond.

Self‑Care for Black Women by Oludara Adeeyo

Adeeyo offers 150 practical exercises—from affirmations to journaling—that resonate deeply with Black women's daily realities, helping dismantle internalized shame, stress, and racial fatigue through holistic, culturally sensitive self-care .

​The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Dr. Rheeda Walker, PhD

A licensed psychologist, Dr. Walker maps the systemic barriers affecting Black mental health. Her book offers tools to advocate for yourself in an unequal system—culturally competent and rooted in practical self-compassion and wellness strategies.

​The Self‑Care Prescription by Dr. Robyn L. Gobin, PhD

Dr. Gobin, a licensed clinical psychologist, combines research-based strategies with Black-centered self-care planning, helping readers manage stress, anxiety, and burnout through personalized routines of rest, boundaries, and emotional wellness.

​Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self‑Recovery by bell hooks

Celebrated author and scholar bell hooks connects emotional healing to collective struggle. This classic explores how self-recovery and political resistance intertwine, urging Black women to reclaim their emotional lives as acts of love and liberation.

​How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free by Alexandra Elle

Wellness writer Alexandra Elle AKA Alex Elle offers guidance on restorative journaling, affirmations, and trauma-informed self-care practices. Her work centers narrative medicine and self-awareness as tools for emotional release and rooted healing .

​Self-Love for Black Women by Nya Love

Published earlier this year, this guide stitches stories and exercises around healing from racial, relational, and childhood trauma. Love offers tools to build self-worth, confront internalized oppression, and tend to inner wounds through self-compassion and self-advocacy.

​Yoke: My Yoga For Self-Acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley

Stanley is an internationally recognized yoga teacher, author, and advocate for body acceptance and inclusivity, and this book includes raw storytelling and insight to invite readers to use yoga as a path to radical self-acceptance and inner peace.

​The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips

In this faith-based guide (which includes a foreword by Sarah Jakes Roberts) Dr. Anita Phillips blends Christian principles, neuroscience knowledge, and mental health expertise, showing how spiritual healing and emotional awareness begin by tending the soul through God’s truth.

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