Taraji P. Henson
Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation
Mental Health Issues in the Black Community
Bounce salutes actress and advocate Taraji P. Henson and her efforts to address and illuminate mental health issues in the Black community.
One in five Americans suffers from mental illness according to ABC News. African Americans are the least likely population to seek treatment. With that, Henson was inspired to create the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation which is a nonprofit organization.
Recently, her foundation launched a COVID-19 virtual therapy initiative. Its goal is to serve communities of color as they deal with the challenges and changes to their everyday life brought on by the coronavirus emergency.
This quote from Variety sums up her passion for her quest:
“We’re walking around broken, wounded and hurt, and we don’t think it’s OK to talk about it. We don’t talk about it at home. It’s shunned. It’s something that makes you look weak. We’re told to pray it away. Everyone was always asking me, ‘Do you have a charity?’ Well, dammit, this is going to be my calling, because I’m sick of this. People are killing themselves. People are numbing out on drugs. Not everything is fixed with a pill.”
If you are in need of emotional support, you can REGISTER HERE for up to 5 free therapy sessions with culturally competent clinicians in our Resource Guide.
