Rafiah Maxie-Cole

The presentation "Suicide on the Black Hand Side: Five Lessons Learned from a Community that Lost a Child" seeks to explore the lessons learned from the suicide of Jamal Clay-a 19 year old African American Male from Chicago. In this interactive presentation, participants will view segments of the documentary "We Cry Your Tears: The Jamal Clay Story". Participants will then engage in a discussion on the takeaways learned from the community that knew him, and learn more about their own communities insight on suicide, service needs and the stigmas associated with mental health. The Five takeaways will include:

Cultural values held by the community about suicide. The indoctrinated beliefs held by black men in the community. The challenges of seeking mental health services in communities of color. The stigmas of suicide and mental health in the black community. The passionate takeaways of a mother’s loss. The power of turning pain into purpose will be explored thru the 6 stage of Grief and loss. The 6th stage is meaning.