Congratulations to Yolo Akili Robinson and BEAM!
Because of his commitment to Black people and their mental health, activist and health expert Yolo Akili Robinson was recently honored by BET. At this past weekend’s 2020 BET Awards Show, Robinson and his organization BEAM (Black Emotional And Mental Health) were recognized with the “Empowerful Spotlight.” The awards show spoke of Robinson’s contributions to American Black people and provided information about his organization.
But that’s not all. Because of his recognition by the awards show, Wells Fargo announced that it has donated $25,000 to BEAM.
BET and @WellsFargo are proud to share an #Empowerful Spotlight on @YoloAkili of @_beamorg, who is on the front lines committed to the mental health of Black Americans today. To support this work, Wells Fargo is donating $25,000 to BEAM. #ad pic.twitter.com/vZllqqW5uW
— BET (@BET) June 29, 2020
Robinson is a Black gay activist from Florida. He started out his career in public health as an HIV/AIDS counselor supporting Black people. He then transitioned into violence prevention by working as a family intervention counselor with Black men and boys for Men Stopping Violence.
After that, Robinson recognized a strong desire to support feminist work with men. This led to him creating the queer men’s collective addressing sexism and misogyny called Sweet Tea: Southern Queer Men’s Collective. But that wasn’t Robinson’s only creation, as he later founded BEAM (or Black Emotional And Mental Health), which is a collective of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists, and more committed to the emotional/mental health and healing of Black communities.
In response to the acknowledgment by BET and Wells Fargo’s donation, Robinson expressed his gratitude online.
“Truly honored,” he wrote. “Still in disbelief. Thank you to @BET and @WellsFargo for uplifting @_beamorg work. I am but one of many who make it possible. more to come, but for now just #Gratitude.”
Truly honored. Still in disbelief. Thank you to @BET and @WellsFargo for uplifting @_beamorg work. I am but one of many who make it possible. more to come, but for now just #Gratitude 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 #empowerfulspotlight #Betawards20 pic.twitter.com/uNhKQRtWro
— Yolo Akili (@YoloAkili) June 29, 2020
Again, congratulations to Yolo Akili Robinson and BEAM!
