For decades, the West End of Rockville Centre has held stories of Black resilience, community and quiet displacement. As a second-generation former resident and granddaughter of the late John and Bessie Lee Robinson, I’ve witnessed how memory and change collide in our village — especially at moments meant to honor legacy and healing.
This summer, as we reflect on Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we must also reflect on the geography of mental health: where we gather, where we grieve, and where we begin to heal. And in Rockville Centre, that landscape includes Smith Pond, the newly renovated Rev. Morgan Days Park, and the ever-persistent echoes of the West End’s erased footprint.
The West End once pulsed with the life of Black families building homes, cultivating gardens, raising youth and attending local churches. But in the 1960s, urban renewal projects forcibly displaced many residents, offering few pathways back and no promise of inclusion. Homes were lost, school access fractured, and generations scattered into neighboring towns like Lakeview and Freeport.
The renewal disproportionately affected Black families, while white residents often found new opportunities within village borders. The racial impact of these decisions continues to reverberate through housing, education and representation. Despite this, many Black families remain connected to the West End through history, family and deep cultural memory.
Just east of the West End lies Smith Pond, a 19-acre body of water with centuries of history. In the 18th century, DeMott’s Mill stood at its banks, operated by Mordecai “Rock” Smith, a preacher and blacksmith whose name lives on in “Rockville” Centre. Today, Smith Pond offers more than shoreline fishing. It offers stillness — a quiet invitation to reflect.
Across the village, the newly opened walking trail at Rev. Morgan Days Park is bringing families, children and elders together in a beautiful way. Named for a beloved community leader, the 52-acre park offers not just recreational activity but a living tribute to restoration and wellness. This space is important for more than scenery — it’s a place where Black moms, caregivers and neighbors can practice mindfulness, engage in movement and find healing in nature without stigma. These spaces should not only be preserved; they should be activated.
July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, created to honor the trailblazing author and advocate who demanded culturally responsive mental health care and visibility for Black communities. Campbell understood what many still ignore: that mental wellness is shaped by systems, not just symptoms.
As a maternal mental health advocate and founder of the PAM Project (for Preserve A Mom), I see this firsthand. Black mothers and caregivers are still navigating stress responses that show up in their bodies — cortisol-driven weight gain, high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders — and too often are told to “push through.”
We reject that narrative. The government may underfund mental health services and devalue education, but we are creating a new chapter, rooted in dialogue, advocacy and intentional care.
This essay isn’t just a reflection. It’s an invitation. Together, let’s:
• Honor the history of the West End, not bury it.
• Use public spaces like Rev. Morgan Days Park and Smith Pond for wellness and intergenerational healing.
• Acknowledge the links among racism, displacement and health.
• Encourage local policy and programming that centers emotional wellness and culturally relevant care.
• Check in on our fellow caregivers, mothers and neighbors — especially during the summer months, when isolation grows.
Wellness belongs everywhere. Especially in the places we’ve fought to exist.
Alicia James is a maternal mental health advocate and founder of the PAM Project, which centers Black mothers, caregivers, and families through community wellness, storytelling and support. Her family’s legacy inspires her ongoing work in advocacy, healing and restorative justice. Connect with the PAM Project at https://linktr.ee/pam4blackmuvas.
