[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] good morning. And welcome to the second forum of the Congressional Black CaucusEmergency Task force on black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. I need to start by saying thank you no my colleagues who have obviously changed their schedules in order to be present here today for this important event. We launch third caulk with two Core Missions to identify comprehensive legislation that will result in solutions that it will reverse the growing trend of black youth and broaderring you suicide and raise awareness and sound the alarm so that the parents, the educateogy are and other Community Members understands what is happening and what to look for in their own children. Theres often no better way to raise awareness than to rely on the voices of wellknown icons in our community and wore blessed to have one here with us today. Im incredibly gravitiful to have Award Winning actress, taraji p. Henson. In order to maximize our time i want to introduce her and move into our testimony so we have time for questions. I need you to know that she is an awardwinning actress. She is very accomplished and very diverse on her platforms, she is also an activist, Community Activist and someone who cares duoply but issues that effect the quality of health and wellbeing in our community. In 2018 she founded a Foundation Named for her father who suffered from Mental Health challenges as a result of his tour on duty in the vietnam war, and the foundation is committed to changing the perception of Mental Illness the Africanamerican Community by encouraging those who suffer with the debilitating illnesses to get the help they need. Since this launch the organization has conducted several listening sessions with therapists, social workers 0,ed indicators and Mental Health leader across the nation and has worked closely with numerous high risk schools to provide support for teacher, staff, Mental Health training, organize adult and Youth Advisory Council and work with partners to help develop trauma and informed curricula. Todays hearing reps the second actual committee hearing. It is our desire to take this information on the road across the country to talk to those who are we have some of the workingup here. To work with our professionals to work with parents 0,ed indicators, teachers, everyone has an opportunity to observe our children in their daily lives so they can look for the signs that they need to intervene on their behalf. So with that like to turn this over now no ms. Hen send and give her the opportunity to address us. Talk. Oh, wow. Thank you so much for having me here. I am here out of necessity. I founded this foundation because there was a problem. My father passed away in 06 two years prior to that my sons father was murdered here in washington, dc. Thats trauma. Not only for my son but for myself. When he was becoming a young man, not having his important male figure to look up to, to call upon, questions abouting a young africanamerican male in america, how dud that work. What die need to do . We didnt have it. And i noticed we started have something issues. It was time to seek help. When it was time to look for someone who i felt i could trust and my son could trust it was like looking for a unicorn, and i called my best friend, who is the executive director of my foundation, the boards Lawrence Henson foundation, tracy jenkins, and she we started doing research, and it dawned on me the reason why we dont have many psychiatrists, not that we dont have them theyre not easily accessible is because we in the Africanamerican Community dont deal with Mental Health issues. We dont even talk about it. We have been taught to pray our problems away. We have been demonized for coming out, saying we have issues, and we have trust issues. I need the person sitting opposite from me when i go seek help for my mental to be culturally competent and if youre not culturally competent how ick trust you with my deepest secrets and with my vulnerability . So, this foundation was founded like i said out of a necessity. I also before becoming a an actress, i was a substitute teach teacher. Opted to teach special education children. When i got my credentialed and i started to go out into the world and sub, i got sent to crenshaw and i thought i was going a school for special needs kids, and when i got there i was in a roomful of all black young males, labeled special ed. None of them in wheelchairs. That could all speak and walk and had all of their facilities. As i stayed in the school i started talking to the young men and start finding out they were going home to parents no parent being home, one kid was found walking along the train tracks, wandering no parents at home. One kid was arrested for stealing just wanted to eat. Needed something to eat because there were no parents as home. Aft 7eleven he was caught stealing. That sat with me and bothered me because im raising a young black men and when i tried to teach these young men, they believed this label that had been placed on them. Im special ed, cant learn that. Another thing that berted me was children normalizing shootouts. I got to school another day, and kids are grabbing we my he hand and going, look there, was a shootout last night, point thing at the bullet holes in the wall of their school, laughing. Were expecting these children to come from traumatic experiences at home and were expecting them to good to school and learn and its just not fair. We cant give up on our kids and i think thats where it starts. Think we implement Mental Illness or Mental Health as education in school and needs to be a subject. Its like Sex Education was, physical education, we need to talk about it. The more we talk about it this, more people will feel like they can talk about it. I really dont know how to fix this problem. I just know that this suicide rate is rising. I just know that the ages of the children that are committing suicide are getting younger and younger. I just breaks my heart to know that fiveyearold children are contemplating life and death. I just sorry. That one is tough for me. So im their appeal to you because this is a national crisis. When i hear of kids going into bathrooms, cutting themselves, youre supposed to feel safe at school. Im here using my celebrity, using my voice, to put a face to this because i also suffer from depression, and anxiety, and if youre a human, living in todays world, i dont know how youre not suffering in any way. If you turn on the news, thats ptsd right there we need each other. This is me reaching across the table, trying to len a helping hand and the best way i canment we have to save our children. Thank you. Couldnt agree more. So, were loggers and were appropriators and we know this problem exists withing you Mental Health disease si, and the uptick in suicide. We believe that it was an opportunity to elevate this discussion on a National Level so, therefore, we have this Emergency Task force, and we call it Emergency Task force because he want it to be of limited duration to ghetto heart of things and then get together and have a report as the best practices, where the deficiencies lie, and what we as members need to fight for. I am really grateful for you taking your time and i am grateful for your founding the foundation that is working with children in schools the looks of the issues to a whole community and we definitely want to be a partner with you. So if you do not mind, i would like to turn this over to my colleagues determine exchange for things youve observed in questions they may have. And in this wonderful district, hopefully one day state. [laughter] Eleanor Holmes with a representative. I want to think representative, for her initiative and it cannot say enough human sense and for taking time out of your schedule to come to unglamorous the united states. Is it the case you were born and raised in the district of columbia . Sb importing race. I am very pleased. I went to howard university. How many more kudos can she get. This is a product of her hometown and if you needed any other reason why you should support d. C. State its in right before you. I am struck with the information we have gathered in this task force about the ages of these children, suicide has been fairly rare in the Africanamerican Community. But like so much else we did not take her understand or noted so far were to focus on any group in the Africanamerican Community i would be troubled by these statistics that showed. Im talking about too young to even know the word suicide. 5 11 in some instances 12 14. As an information on my children, i will quote from the report that we have. A recent report, 2017, more than a third of elementary cool age children, suicides involved black children compared to 11. 6 of early adolescent suicide. What in the world is happening in our communities any information that you have that would inform us about the suicides among very young children. I think social media plays a big part of that. And we need awareness and thats where we start with the children. We need awareness at school. And therapist and dear to the social media driven world, we cannot just introduce social media to her children and not give them a guideline that seems to be whats going on. It started off really cool but now we have a problem. Because kids are looking at the pictures and is not true. It is not reality. So they need guidance. One of the parents are not even on social media, their new to it, some of them. So thats where we need to come in the community and teacher children how to maneuver through social media or teach them that it is not that important and that we have to have a conversation and expecting them to get on their own and theyre not getting it. I hope we all understand this, when a child commits suicide, theres no place to look for in the mirror. And ourselves. Can ask them a question, saying in your testimony is some indication that these children have been treated for depression or the matter or others who attempt suicide might not have done so. Have the depression been treated. Would you tell us about your experience in about what do you think depression as a factor if it is. In the suicide among children. The present as affiliate factor. Some people feel low and they can get themselves out of it. Physical nickel depression where you just lose all hope. If you do not have the resources to get the help, i have the resources, im blessed, i can afford mental care, which it is not even really the best plan with my insurance company, i make a lot of money. So thats another issue. People are not able to get the help even the need even if they wanted to even if theyre bold enough to say its okay to not be okay, if theyre bold enough and vulnerable enough to say im not okay, i need help, they have still nowhere to get it. We really able to go get a ticket. We know the state of healthcare right now if you add Mental Health in the mix we dont have the resources and most people dont have the money and most people to have insurance. Thank you very much. If youre in new jersey and have insurance and you have a need, you can always find a counselor that can address your needs, is a severe deficiency in the number of black psychologist or black psychiatrist, there is also a deficiency who may not be black, but have the confidence of the part to deal with their children and recognize their value. Everyone of us know some buddy or has somebody in her family that has that need. One introduce part of the working group today, doctor Michael Lindsay and doctor noble who are big part of this group to help us find our way and i dont know if theres any other member of the working group . To just end up with technology. Thank you. [applause] thank you. I went to announced liver radio personality in the room was a story that is worth telling and sharing and empowers our youth of female and male who is here with us today was also agreed to be a part of our working group. [applause] i would now like to recognize representative. Thank you congresswoman for gathering again in conversation, at such an honor to see you here im a huge fan. And im a fan of the work youre doing. We had her working Group Present us on our first hearing, with a lot of important discussions of what it meant to have competency training for Mental Health providers in some of the billiards that might exist in getting some of our communities to become Mental Health providers. The cultural this norms the exist within our communities about Mental Health. I share the story about african and smaller. It is crazy and thats it. We dont have a single word in the tamale language to describe anything else. It is true for many of the languages. Theres a huge barrier and points us is about community having to suffer in silence. We are often like you said or to pave the way and keep it ourselves. That silence and its weakness. Being vulnerable is dangerous. Not kind of mobilization is that they dont understand the magnitude of what is happening but it is protection. We are not going to constantly dwell on this. This is our reality. We are going to figure out how to get past it. Thisre going to address particular crisis that we have, ways toto figure out have it be incorporated within our educational system. One of the things i discussed with charmaine was social Emotional Learning and being part of the curriculums we have been our schools. Schools. On physical health. In Sexual Health education. And i cannot really understand why we wouldnt think youd be important for us to teach kids about feelings and the important of not blocking those feelings. We are interested in introducing that will on that as part around the country. My question to you, youve had conversations and surveyed young people, educators, what are your thoughts around this particular concept and how we can move the needle in this particular area. It is definitely starting in the education system. Because we cannot rely on the parents are often times broken in dealing, or theyre not where they are mentally so thats where we have to rely on the school and education system. Because how you affect, its almost like you can even affect the parents to the kid because of their coming home with homework and if your parent who helps children with their homework then this is a discussion youre having in the home. Thats why we have to start in the school, its the smartest way to attack this crisis. From school is we take the conversation home to the parent and you kind of have to talk about it and hopefully the parent is affected in a good way and the whole entire family gets help. Right now the crisis is with the children, that the perfect way to do, implement in the school in the curriculum. I also believe, that is definitely a bright way to do, but also i just believe our children dont think we care about this. I honestly believe that if i were a kid i would think so. We have all kinds of expos in the cities, we do black women expo, every kind of expo you can think of. Every city gets excited about the super bowl, but whos getting excited about her kids, where the team summits, children are entrepreneurs, we are there expo. I think this is a time where the adults have to pick the ball up and take care over children, they cannot do it on their own and im noticing children, also freshman, going off to college, having serious coping issues. They are having psychotic brea breaks, this one is a little personal im sorry. Theyre having psychotic breaks because they dont feel included in its damage of social media. We have to turn this vote around or we will lose humanity. It starts with the kids, we need to focus on her children now in a society that forgets their children verbal computer. I visited a Community Health center in my district last month. In our visit we did the tour and they showed me the area where a lot of the young people who might be seeking Mental Health come in. It used to say the intake center. We talked about that language often times impacts the way people access services. So intake was a reminder of a social service or belief or all of these unpleasant thoughts and young people would come in and see the sign and they would leave. So the center run an amazing africanamerican woman decided that they were going to change that. They wanted to make sure that the young people understood this was a connecting point, they change it to Community Connection center. Much better. [laughter] one of the other think struggling with especially adolescents that there were enough psychologists to treat them. I know that is part of one of the things that your advocating for in your foundation is looking at. Can you think about what the billiards might be for members of our community entering that field and what that would mean and having many of them be part of the field so we can feel more comfortable in seeking services quick. We started doing research, is something dont exist, they are there, you dont have a lot but that will change. Because were starting to talk about it. They are there but its how do we find them. My foundation, one of the things were trained to do on our website, pull them altogether. This way, sometimes people have a problem, they feel that they have to go sit on us sofa and theres so much stigma. So to remove the stigma, you could go to our website, your therapist could be important, it could be new jersey, you could be in North Carolina but could skype with them, you can have a conversation, i dont think people know that these are ways to get the help that they need. So once, i think thats back that can help. I travel a lot, and i cannot physically go see my therapist all the time but when i find myself in a bind or in the low i could certainly call her, based in part so making our community understand that when you find any doctor, do you vibe with the person or not. You have to keep going until you find the right person, right energy. Its educating, the martin where we talk about more were talk comfortable to talk about. One important piece in your foundation is a scholarship to young people to enter that field and we know any of the barriers to our communities and seeking healthcare degree is the cost. A lot of our communities are burning with even that as they finish their fouryear education and to accelerate that becomes a bigger burden on the community. Were hoping that our fine colleagues in the community will join us in the advocacy to cancel out student debt. More people the opportunity to have whatever promise they wont fulfill. Absolutely. In addition to making sure that we have some kind of training or Education School level, we need to look at the educators in the kind of training. And associated with their certification for counsel, we need to make sure the heather competency as well. Absolutely. Good morning everyone, take you all for being here and particularly ms. Hansen for coming and exposing yourself into your experiences and family. In thank you for speaking for black men and the experiences and not being afraid to expose that part of yourself as well. I think that is something, i know you spoke about one ability, and being comfortable in showing your vulnerability. That something we as black people have difficulty doing because what is happened to us historically when we do that. I was hoping you could tell us more of the specifics of what your organization does, that is important for people to hear as an example of nonprofits are doing in the space. We started off with a listening tour, put on the table, we have a problem. So long weve been sweeping it under the carpet, people feel like they can at least talk about it. In trying to get trained professionals in schools suffered from a genetic situation instead of labeling them special ed and getting them the help that they need. We are also in the prison system, and they have mental issues, and it happens because the issue has not been dealt with so they find themselves back in prison again. Because of a problem that landed them in prison was never dealt with. Also by getting scholarships to young africanamericans so we will have this problem anymore. The lack of therapist. Culturally competent africanamerican therapist. Hopefully that will not be until five or ten years from now. This weekend i have the honor of being with someone who doesnt even realize it is working in the space is tim duncan nba player and he started a program in san antonio and is moved to the Virgin Islands where he has a program called yes we can and its for Elementary School students to engender positivity and that we dont often speak positive things and letting her children know that they can do things, the resilient, strong in an act that is been created that allows them to interact act their grade level to feel positive about themselves and what the future holds. As opposed to what they see around her. And having to look like that school, its really important and i know from your experience as a teacher, how do you think that we can prepare teachers for funding that would be necessary to make teachers be Mental Health first responders. They need to get training. Im no professional but when i was a substitute teacher, i was no professional but i can pinpoint, because they care and because i was not afraid to tackle Mental Health issues, i could see through different lens but youre talking about teachers, some dont even think about it like that because are not professional, i think that teachers need to be trained, teachers need to be trained. We also are in school right now obtaining positive and he was working one of the schools and he can find our kids and their cutting. That was not a part of our culture before. Another cutting in the bathroom. I know growing up bathrooms are very dark, they were dark and gray in a place where you cannot go, to place suicide or you can go get bullied. Its something small but a start. And we even allow spaces for young people to write their own positive thoughts now. So when you go to the bathroom and saw a dark place. You talk about this be personal, i have four sons, they are 30 18. When you talk about unsafe in schools, more often than not we think about School Environments being unsafe we think about gangs, schools webelos van, but i got the experience they have funds and good schools, but those are times very unsafe for africanamerican men and often times are the only one in the classroom where they are the one that stand out the most. That has been, ive had to deal with funds who are still dealing with depression and still dealing with issues. In finding someone in the school that they could trust is often very difficult when there is a minority and majority white school. Whether the secondary school, elementary and particularly at the college level. If theyre not in hbc or school with the majority of people who look like them where we can all go, that becomes an issue that africanamericans need to deal with is finding safe places for children. This week i had an incident in the district of columbia with a relative was considered one of the better schools in d. C. And leaving the school there are other children waiting for them. How do we as a Community Find community outlets, i did not know if you talk a little bit about other Community Centers, safe places for our young people to go to after school that can provide a safe haven where depression can be identified, vulnerability can be identified its a safe place for all of her kids and recognizing that we may not all look alike or the like but our experiences are the same. That is something, are the same issue with my son. Get the best education, you want them to have a better education and you look back as a parent, did i do the right thing because they walk away scarred. Something you cannot fix. That is an initiative, it should be required in every school where the kids do not look like prey that should be required with all the differences. We cannot just talk about black people in february. We should not just celebrate, we should talk about each other culture every day. And should not be that one black person who has to give the explanation for everybody in the class. [applause] bottom line is education. I wish i was a billionaire because i would go around the world Building Community centers, i remember when i was a kid i had those options. Say what you want to say about me but it kept me off the street, i do job every summer. These kids have nowhere to go, nowhere to be they just have time on their hands and thats dangerous. They have time in social media, a very dangerous combination. This past weekend event clark had a meeting in new york and they were talking about a lot of issues one was crime and criminal justice and the District Attorney of brooklyn there and ends up eni group in the same project in brooklyn. In a way we knew in the same project is because he said to remember ms. Barbara, ms. Barbara was a black woman who had a Community Center for all of us after school whether you went to private, public, everybody was there and i said, ms. Barbara had me run around the block five times, for coming in later and we need to create the safe places now we dont have cedar programs that provide jobs for young people, remember that in the 70s. Youre too young to remember that. [laughter] , these are the kinds of things that we need to bring back and these are the ideas that you are giving us as the appropriators. Those of us who sit on these committees that create the language so we can be sure that we have the funding and resources and even nih to do the research so that our children can be safe. I want to say one more thing, i used to go to school and to sending down talk with migrant print and i had no one to play with but my thoughts. [laughter] i remember down the street there was a school and i wanted to go, i did not think of it as im dumb or in failing, thats our kids see Summer School now, what if Summer School was a place where you went to learn how to cook, the things you dont learn during the regular curriculum during the regular year, when we have a Summer Program for kids to go to that is something parents certainly dont have to worry about where the kids are at work. I learned the ring of register, i learned so much how to sell these are things i was not learning in school. Im not a congresswoman. I cannot imagine not being, when it comes to children, theres no expenses to expenses, were saving our future. Thank you. [applause] i guess in the 70s and 80s with different relationships between the police. We have offices friendly. With the boys and Girls Centers were really geared up and we had the wifes and we had oj programs with trade. We also had in the state of new jersey for children who having difficult times in their communities of girls in the department of education. Not the department of criminal justice, not the department of corrections these discussions were having today our discussion are important as we looking at the money that is giving to various departments of discretionary money to create more programs, have to tell you there is more money that we know about so we need to figure out how to push the information out into the community so those interested in preventing and providing services no that there is a resource for this. And im committed to that as a new member of the appropriation. I keep looking at my working group because. I need to look at them too, wheres that money. [laughter] they the ideas and evidence based programs for the research ive done and i know doctor lindsay is going to be at your conference tonight as i am, thank you for the invitation, i want you to talk a little bit about it because i think it is huge and brilliant indecent, the foundation we are having our first benefit dinner fundraiser this weekend, it is over a period of three days, today, tonight, tomorrow and sunday. We have different panels, were raising money so bring some money. [laughter] we have all of her resources putting this thing together, anyway, its an initiative to get the word out about what this foundation is about and what we are doing and what we will achieve. This is my life mission i know it. I tweeted something earlier today, god calls on us all to fulfill a purpose that is much bigger than ourselves and i used to think it was acting, no it is a spring i found my way through this proactive. He blesses so you can bless, he enlarged her territory so you could be a bigger blessing. I agree with you one 100 about purpose and i also believs rolling. I know we have to let you go, i wanted to ask my colleagues if they had one short question to ask of you. Ill make it short, members of Congress Make speeches, im concerned about violence and a community and a possible contribution to suicides that we assume with young people. Do you have any comment on that quick. Again, we have to get in the communities, that is a huge problem, how do we stop our kids from killing each other, they need something to do. I think if we get all this time off of these babies hands and give them something constructive to do, and creative to think about, they take everything fun out of school, music, i remember i loved learning to bang on bills, i was not talented when it came to the iv, the ivory, i love my bills. But i think schools onto for children, and accreted line, that was a creative mind, and the arts in my life. If you cannot implement it into school, then where the Community Centers for them to ask so they can feel comfortable and thrive. I think that is where we start, summer for our children to be so they dont have idle time to think of ways to destroy each other. Final . I want to say how amazing it is to see you here talking about this issue, for the time charmaine and his colleagues spent talking about this issue and others who are with the stereotype that the communities do not talk about. I really appreciate your strengths and being vulnerable. That means i know a lot to me, and i know it means a lot to everyone else who feels like they need someone to say it so they can save themselves. I finally want to say the black caucus has been on tour in different districts and they will be in my district the end of august and we will be talking about rental health in the black community, theyve agreed to come in and be part of the conversation. I am hoping you and charmaine will join us and be a part of the conversation as well. In minnesota we do Amazing Things and we are usually deleting state for healthcare. For Mental Health in a black community is one year not leading in and i would love for you guys to come and help us do that. Absolutely. I know each and every one of us if we were honest would recognize and say weve had moments of depression and weve had moments of anxiety. How we been able to navigate them, distinguishes us from someone was had to continue on with whatever. We have all gone through something, or black in america. And women. Having the opportunity to have her children to feel comfortable about having these concerns, issues, feelings and recognizing that it places no negative impact on the value is so important to us. That is gods work, i think you for using your celebrity enter resources to work in the space and to open up these conversations so that we can all have the future for children that not only we want from the heart but we needed for the country to be healthy. I thank you very much and i dont know if you have a parting, quick. I want to thank you for allowing me a place to be vulnerable and to speak about something that im very passionate about, i am here for you it takes a village, and certainly a part of the village. I want change, and i went to take care of our babies, anyway you need me, im here for you. Im going to ask for my sister and my brothers who are in the audience to respect the fact that she is a place just to get to right away so im going to ask if you wither her leave this room before you get up. Thank you so much. [inaudible] an[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] tomorrow on newsmakers, dr. Wen, planned parenthood president and ceal