Black Child Suicide: America’s Urgent Crisis

Urban One’s NewsOne.com, a digital content property owned by iONE Digital, is launching a new multimedia series, An American Crisis: Black Child Suicide. The seven-part series will explore the reasons why Black children are at a higher risk of dying by suicide than their peers, and it will share resources to support those in need. The goal is to raise awareness about the under-reported and under addressed crises Black children are experiencing, as a result of persistent racism and its collateral consequences. 

Yesterday NewsOne.com publi<a href="shed the introductory article by NewsOne Senior Editor, asha bandele, and an exclusive one-on-one interview with Editor-in-Chief Emerita of ESSENCE and founder and CEO of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, Susan L. Taylor.
 

“Consciously and otherwise, this nation casts Black children as predators when the truth is that they are the victims, the targets, of socially imposed and entrenched harms that tell them their lives don’t matter. This series is all about disrupting that lie and finding as many ways as possible to demonstrate our love for our babies,” said asha bandele

Over the course of March, American Crisis: Black Child Suicide will engage the tragedy as it impacts specific demographics—boys, girls, loss survivors and members of the LBGTQIA+ community and finally, what we know we can do right now to help end Black child suicide.

This special series has been led by, asha bandele, who, in addition to her role with NewsOne, is also an award-winning journalist and multi-award winning and New York Times best-selling author of seven books, with two additional works forthcoming from  OneWorld/Random and The New Press. 
 

“Our children are grieving heartbreaking losses before their time. They are impacted by structural racism, just as we are. They struggle with their mental health, just as we do. Yet, as we take to the streets in protest, the escalating, urgent crisis of Black children dying by suicide goes underreported.” offered iONE Digital’s Vice President, Content, Kirsten West Savali.
 

“Following the guiding light of our fearless leader, Urban One Founder & Chairwoman Ms. Cathy Hughes, iONE Digital is committed to reporting on issues that matter to us, even when they may be uncomfortable to face. We have no greater responsibility than sounding the alarm and doing all we can to ensure our babies feel seen, heard, loved, and supported in a world that tries every day to steal their joy.” Ms. West Savali concluded.
 

Contributors to An American Crisis: Black Child Suicide include Dionne Monsanto whose daughter died by suicide at age 15, and the legendary Mrs. Taylor, who is also the founder and CEO of National CARES Mentoring Movement, the singular organization working nationally to secure Black children by recruiting, training and deploying mentors, psychologists and other wellness professionals to under resourced schools, communities and detention centers where the organization’s curriculum-based, culturally anchored healing programs help children and young people unearth, understand and overcome traumas that otherwise would upend their lives. Ending Black child suicide is a critical organizational mandate.

Between 2018 and 2021, young Black people ages 10 to 24 experienced the single largest rate of increase in deaths by suicide at 36 percent.   Christina Caron, New York Times, 11/18/21
The series will also feature two real-world accounts of suicidal ideation by Black teenagers, and the expertise of psychologists including Dr. Obari Cartman, President of the Chicago Association of Black Psychologists.