July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time to acknowledge, reflect and learn about the unique challenges faced by racial and ethnic minority communities in addressing their mental health needs.

To save lives and support those affected by suicide, AFSP recognizes that it’s crucial to address the systemic racism, historical barriers and societal inequities that have contributed to experiences of stress, loss and negative mental health outcomes among minoritized populations.

A few ways AFSP makes mental health equity a daily mission:

• Investing in research led by and for diverse communities
• Sharing culturally relevant mental health resources, delivered by mental health providers that represent diverse communities
• Working with policymakers and organizations that are addressing race-based inequities in accessing mental health care
• Elevating the voices and stories of minoritized people

Learn how to join AFSP in supporting diverse communities.

AFSP’s Elevating Voices for Long-Lasting Change Town Hall Series brings together experts in mental health and suicide prevention from diverse communities. In this recent event, panelists discussed how to support AAPI community mental health and reduce discrimination.

Francis Gonzalez is one of the many AFSP volunteers bringing culturally relevant resources to communities across the country. Francis presents AFSP’s suicide prevention education program, Talk Saves Lives, in Spanish to raise awareness in the Latinx community.

Dr. Briana Mezuk is an AFSP-funded researcher whose study uncovered systemic biases in the data collection of the National Violent Death Reporting Systems (NVDRS). Briana’s findings will help reduce bias in mortality data collection used by suicide prevention researchers.

It’s vital that we support minority mental health all year round. Thank you for joining us in this important work.