On Friday, June 7, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)’s new Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health convened for the second time. Dr. Annelle Primm, Senior Medical Advisor, who represents The Steve Fund on the Task Force’s working group of experts and stakeholders, spoke during the launch conference in April. Following the gathering on Capitol Hill, senior leaders from The Steve Fund joined the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation during its inaugural benefit dinner (pictured above).
Actress, mental health advocate, and founder of the Henson Foundation Taraji P. Henson aptly described a deep concern within the African-American community with her comment:
“We, in the African-American community, we don’t deal with mental health issues. We don’t even talk about it. We’ve been taught to pray our problems away. We’ve been demonized for coming out and saying we have [mental health] issues and we have trust issues. I need the person sitting opposite from me, when I go seek [mental] help, to be culturally competent. If you’re not culturally competent how can I trust you with my deepest secrets and my vulnerability?”
This weekend’s #BorisLawrenceHensonFoundation events were a gamechanger for raising awareness about #blackmentalhealth and reducing stigma! Praises for @TheRealTaraji for using her celebrity & big ❤ to lift up this issue #CanWeTalk #yougotthis #blackmindsmatter @thestevefund
— Annelle Primm (@aprimm2317) June 10, 2019
The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, launched by Taraji P. Henson to help eradicate the stigma around mental health issues in the African-American community, hosted a benefit dinner Friday, June 7, 2019 in Washington DC. Pictured above (left to right): Gordon Bell (The Steve Fund Board Member), Dr. Annelle Primm (The Steve Fund Advisor), Dr. Narcisa Polonio (The Steve Fund Advisor), and Dr. Sam Daniel (former President/CEO of the former North General Hospital in Harlem and prominent NYC physician).
Here are a few resources from The Steve Fund that also support Taraji P. Henson’s appeal to fight the stigma around mental health in African-American communities and communities of color:
- Equity in Mental Health Framework
- Knowledge Center
- Crisis Text Line
- Scholarship Information
- Monthly Newsletter
