By: Roy Douglas Malonson

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and while the nation highlights the importance of mental health, too often the Black community is left out of the conversation. But the numbers don’t lie—our people are hurting. Suicide rates among African Americans, especially our youth, are rising at a frightening pace. Behind those statistics are families torn apart, lives cut short, and a community that’s been told for generations to keep quiet about pain that runs deep.

We don’t like to talk about mental health. We were raised to “pray it away,” to “be strong,” to keep our business in the family. But silence has become deadly. When our sons and daughters are leaving this world before their time, when our brothers are drowning in depression, when our sisters carry unbear

See Full Page