In this episode, co-host Messellech Looby chats with Academy Award-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson about the complexities and opportunities around supporting Black youth in the midst of the country’s current mental health crisis. Henson created The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in memory of her late father, who struggled with mental health challenges after returning from the Vietnam War. The foundation promotes mental health awareness and destigmatizing mental illness within the Black community by uplifting culturally relevant mental health support. The foundation’s Executive Director, Tracie Jade, joins the conversation to discuss its efforts to promote mental health awareness and support within marginalized communities.

Learn more about the youth mental health crisis:

• Fact Sheet: Children’s Mental Health, First Focus on Children
• Testimony: Taraji P. Henson on Mental Health, C-SPAN
• Article: Black Adolescent Suicide Rate Reveals Urgent Need to Address Mental Health Care Barriers, Pew

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