Reena Aurora came to the United States from India in 1989. She is currently in Connecticut, Norwalk She is a member of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Sikh Temple or Gurduwara.
“She’s lively, energetic, very well spoken, and well-liked in the community,” said Minti Kaur, a Sunday school teacher and community outreach team leader.
Aurora is an active member of the temple’s community outreach program. She also leads the health care and mental health team for Congregation for New Connecticut (CONECT), a collective of religious and civic groups in Southern Connecticut.
“It’s fair to say she’s very inspiring in all the activities she does, and whether one person shows up or no one shows up, she’ll be there,” he said. Ranjit Sambar, administrative leader and director of the temple said.
Aurora unveiled CONECT’s mental health agenda at a meeting to gear up for the fall campaign. This includes the establishment of Crisis Stabilization Centers and Peer Respite Centers. These serve as an alternative to incarceration or emergency rooms in mental health crises.
“Peer Respite is run by people who have experienced illness and are trained and certified to help others with mental illness,” she told the audience.
That’s something you should specifically ask candidates running for governor, she said. “Connecticut’s governor-elect will lead the state, and for our state she will research the best combination of these two models and prioritize funding to get them open and operational in our communities as soon as possible. I want to know if I will.”
Aurora’s advocacy for mental health issues stems from her own experiences prior to moving to the United States. Her own brother — then 21 — was violently burned to death. It took a heavy toll on her parents.
“Dad, I still remember the trembling fingers. He brought my brother in a bag, just a pile of bones. And he had to pick all those bones.” And these are traumas that parents should never experience,” Aurora said, recalling the incident.
She said it devastated her mother.
In Connecticut, her family sought mental health care for her. But the therapist, as Aurora put it, wasn’t from her culture or place. I don’t know. It just doesn’t work for me.”
As such, Aurora now says her work is on two levels. She is committed to reducing her stigma on mental health in her own community and increasing culturally sensitive care for those who need it.
CONECT organizer Matt McDermott, who works closely with Aurora, said:
“This is what local grassroots political organization is all about, especially now that so much political activity is happening online,” he said. “Organize people so that they don’t just want to be angry, turn off the TV, turn off the internet, yell at the internet, but want to engage with other people locally, in real life, Keep them involved.”
He said Aurora has had a major impact in setting the healthcare and mental health agenda.
“When people of different backgrounds and faith traditions come together and can actually share their experiences and be honest with each other about what they’ve been through, we can come up with more effective and responsive policies. I believe that it is possible.
Aurora says her Sikh community has gained a say in local politics, so her work has paid off. She said, “I have so many women, and I still have some men coming forward and saying, ‘Let’s do it. We need to talk about it.'”
This article was originally published by WSHU.org on October 27, 2022.
