COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Studies show that men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women. Kamilia Harris knows this all too well. She lost her father to suicide five years ago. Now her goal is to stop other black men from going down the same path.
“I tragically lost my father to suicide in 2019, and since then I’ve been turning my pain into purpose,” said Camilia Harris, founder of the Justus Mental Health Foundation. “I’ve traveled from city to city, state to state, bringing together Black men so they can have a safe space for dialogue and conversation, and talk about things that have happened in our culture.”
Camillia Harris is the founder of the Justus Mental Health Foundation.
She said she knows there’s a societal narrative that men shouldn’t show emotion, which is another reason she started the foundation.
“We live in a world and a culture where there’s a taboo and a stigma that tells us not to say anything even if we feel something is wrong,” Harris said. “So many people die in silence, so many people die in pain, and unfortunately, we promote physical health but forget about mental health.”
Daniel Huggins and Dr Regironde Taylor spoke at the mental health conference.
They said they hope their message will help others struggling with their mental health.
“I want people out there to use this information to educate themselves and spread the news that they heard today,” Huggins said. “Hopefully, someone will pick up this information and pass it on to help other people.”
“I hope this conference will be a platform for people who are struggling with mental illness and let them know that help is available,” Taylor said. “If you are struggling with mental illness, please reach out for help. Don’t be afraid or ashamed.”
Kawaski Owens is a mental health counselor at Mississippi State University who attended the conference.
He said he learned several things from the conference that will be useful in his work.
“Several points stood out to me, especially in regards to men being able to express themselves in a safe space,” Owens said. “Obviously I strive to achieve that within my office, but I think the emphasis here is that if we all come together, we can bring that to the community.”
Harris said he would continue to hold conferences on men’s mental health around the country.
The conference was held at Mississippi College for Women.
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