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TEHRAN, Jun 9 -Suicide rates among black children aged 5 to 11 in the United States have increased in the last 25 years, an alarming statistic that shocked members of the Congressional Black Caucus Task force Friday on Capitol Hill.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Actress Taraji Henson, known for her roles in Empire and Hidden Figures, broke down in testifying about young children who contemplate or commit suicide. She founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation to raise awareness and end negative stigmas around mental health.
"The ages of the children who are committing suicide are getting younger and younger," she said. "It breaks my heart."
Henson said the foundation will hold its first fundraiser this weekend.
"It's our first initiative to get the word out about what this foundation is about," Henson said. "This is my life mission. I used to think it was acting but now it's this."
The actress said she used to be a substitute teacher and saw many children struggle with basic needs in a "special needs" classroom. For too long, she said, mental health issues were swept under the rug.
Henson said she's battled depression and anxiety, and her father fought post-traumatic stress disorder related to his service in Vietnam.
"I wasn't afraid to tackle mental health issues so I can see it through a different lens," she said. "Teachers absolutely need to be trained."
Washington, D.C., Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said at the forum she has been struck by children who must deal with issues of life or death.
"Suicide had been fairly rare in the African-American community, maybe that's because we didn't note it," Norton said. "Maybe it was there but like so much else, we didn't understand it. What in the world is happening in our communities?"
Henson said another problem might be the idealistic lifestyle portrayed on social media, which has become pervasive among children.
"We need therapists there to guide them through the social media-driven world. We can't just introduce social media to our children without giving them a guideline."
Friday's hearing also included testimony from Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is joining the newly formed bipartisan Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus.
Source: upi
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