"I have a dream today" --This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning -- "My country 'tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died; land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountain side, let freedom ring" –Martin Luther King, Jr. 1963 Dear Supporters, First, I wish you all a happy 4th of July 2017. My heart is filled with gratitude for our country and our many precious freedoms. We are in such a fragile time but we must not ever be afraid to unite in our common humanity, our “sacred cause.” If America is to continue to be a great nation, then this must always be true for all, especially our most vulnerable. A year ago on July 4th, I traveled to Washington DC with Jennifer Hoff, my soul sister friend from Orange County, CA. We took our “MOMI Lobby” to DC to support the passing of HR2646. Dj Jaffe and a video crew joined us and we roamed Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers. We met briefly with Congressman Tim Murphy before attending the House vote for HR 2646. Our broken hearts were pounding, as we watched the wall light up with green yes votes in favor of The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. 422-2. Historic! Afterward, the video crew interviewed us in the hallway and asked us how we felt. I remember talking about the privilege of sharing the moment with Jen who had become a dear friend in our mutual fight for our sons, Danny and Matthew, to receive the right to treatment before tragedy or jail time. And, I remember the tears flowing from my eyes as I described how much Dj meant to me, and so many SMI family members across the country. Dj cried, too. He had earned that emotional release. We carried the tears and hearts of so many others in our hearts that day. In December 2016, the 3 of us returned to DC joined by many other amazing advocates focused on SMI. Treatment Advocacy Center’s John Snook, Anthony Hernandez, Amanda Woodward, Janet Hayes, Joy Torres, Evelyn Burton and many others returned to support our legislative leaders in both houses and witness the Senate’s Cloture vote on the reconciled bill. Later that month, President Obama signed this bill into law. We were not invited to the signing but some of us went to DC anyway because we refuse to have our families left out any longer. But, the nation's status quo has been challenged and many things have changed. The great hope of the 21st Century Cures Act is being threatened by a variety of pending actions and fears. Some fear the threat of the ACA repeal and replace action. Others don’t. Some fear the threat to gut Medicaid. Others think Medicaid needs to be revamped. Some fear the focus on the opioid crisis while seemingly ignoring the enormity of the crisis of SMI families like mine. Many of us fear the criminal justice system crisis but have different solutions. Some fear that the current national focus on prevention and children will only divert more SMI adults to solitary cells. Some fear the building of new jails with better services is wrong while SMI inmates wait months for an acute psychiatric hospital bed. While others fear the SMI system needs will divert funding for voluntary community services that they and their families need. It is complicated. But, regardless of where you fall on the mental health or the political spectrums, we have to make room for all to be heard because people are dying with their rights on and their freedoms disappeared long ago. The Families of SMI people and their advocates are compassionate for all but we are “shattering silence” at local, state and national NAMIs and in DC about the lack of focus on the freedom of people with SMI to live in dignity and health. We are never going to be held back from trying to fix the systems that ignore us, divide us and creates a hole in our hearts. We are a focused force and we are fearless. So, we are going to continue to take every hill together and invite others to join us. We are going to do it both inside and outside of local, state and national NAMIs. We are going to do it with radical respect, with dignity and with a constancy of purpose. We are never going to give up trying to prevent the harm and suffering of those living with and dying from brain disorders a.k.a. SMI. This petition was started as a way to express our priorities and our focus to the NAMI Board of Directors and its Executive Director. It was started as a communication tool for change. It then grew into the formation of the Focus on SMI Ticket of 4 running for the NAMI National Board of Directors. I actually had no intention of rejoining NAMI when the petition first started. However, it became clear over the past 6 months that there was a critical need to push for change on the inside of NAMI. But now it is bigger than NAMI and has become a change movement, a grassroots effort to mend the hole in our hearts and return us all to the roots of our humanity. It is a just cause, a moral cause, a compassionate cause. There are multiple strategic efforts and conversations underway. They will be revealed as the clarity of purpose is defined and the path forward created. I am so proud of the Focus on SMI Ticket for pushing hard against the status quo! The results are not surprising and while some may choose to “ move on, “I am not going anywhere. I am a recovering angry mom who will partner with anyone who is willing to shatter the status quo. I will sit at every table, cross every aisle, speak in my own voice and fight for my family to be treated with dignity at the right time, in the right place. I am my family voice and I will use it both inside and outside of NAMI because I Love Someone with Serious Mental Illness. I am excited to be returning to Washington DC this month. I have been invited to join a panel at an event that The Hill will hold on July 18, 2017: http://thehill.com/event/338169-the-state-of-mental-health-care-challenges-and-solutions#.WVQ-TyICyXU.facebook. I hope to be bold, brave and courageous and I will urge everyone to recognize the crisis of care for those with serious mental illnesses, their families, and advocates. We all must face the current state of crisis and seek solutions together. Please join the conversation by following @TheHillEvents and use #StateofMH. More to come soon! Teresa