“Students who do not feel safe and affirmed cannot be expected to demonstrate what they know and learn. This is not new news. We know that when students are not supported they disengage and dropout, which can impact life opportunities and future ability to earn money,” said David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “In honor of Nigel Shelby, Jamel Myles, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, McKenzie Adams and so many other babies whose names we may never know, we need to act urgently to address the trauma, stress, and mental health needs of children, youth and young adults, especially those from racial and sexual minority communities.”
Chaired by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), the CBC Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health will focus on educating Congress members about this mental health crisis and identify solutions and legislative recommendations. The taskforce will also convene experts in Washington, DC and around the country.
The event took place on the last day of National Minority Health Month. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics published a report last year showing that the rate of suicides for Black children between the ages of five and 12 has exceeded that of White children -- and more than a third of elementary school-aged suicides involved Black children.
Other research shows that LGBTQ people are nearly 3 times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition like major depression. Fears about coming out, gender-based violence and the rising epidemic of discrimination, abuse and violence against Black LGBTQ/SGL people also leads to higher rates of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse -- even among school-aged children and teens.
