I have many friends whose skin color is different than mine. I have many friends who worship differently than I do. I have friends who vote differently than I do. I have friends who love differently than I do. I even have friends who hate my beloved Dallas Cowboys. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we have to agree on this, hate kills. #StopSuicide

Woohoo! We finished our first cross country race today! #GoScots

Easy like Sunday morning. #StopSuicide #BeHereTomorrow #WeightliftingIsMyTherapy #988Lifeline @JudgeWren @DrHowardLiu @DrAmandaMcGough @PatCothamMeck @javeedsukhera @afspnational @Action_Alliance @MentalHealthAm @NAMICommunicate @Action_Alliance @fia_maxie @bmhaofficial @nasw

The only way we can stop suicide is by working together. That includes communities working to improve access to mental health care, legislators appropriating funding to support upstream community mental health resources, employers applying policies to reduce stigma, schools teaching students skills to manage trauma and bullying, and hospital systems working creatively to address social determinants. #StopSuicide

Getting young people to honestly open up about their fears and challenges can be difficult. Fathers are often considered rule makers and disciplinarians. As such, it can become difficult for your children, especially sons, to open up about their insecurities as they may fear disappointing you, or worse, they fear that you will judge them. The measure of a “strong” father isn’t striking fear in your children, nor having them be afraid to tell you when they’re hurting emotionally. Rather, your children should consider you a “ safe space”. Your presence should make them feel safe, both physically and emotionally. #StopSuicide

There have been a number of instances recently of Black men found dead by hanging, which has sparked community grief, and scrutiny over whether the death was a suicide or a modern-day lynching. In the vast majority of these cases, local police, medical examiners, and coroners conduct investigations and officially rule the deaths as suicides or state there is no evidence of foul play. This has sparked outrage among many in the Black community who question these findings, given the historical trauma, unanswered questions, and legacy of racial violence, against Black Americans. According to Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) there were nearly 2,000 cases of Blacks (predominantly males) lynched during Reconstruction (1865–1876), in addition to approximately 4,500 from 1877–1950. For many Black Americans, given this historical backdrop, seeing a Black person found hanging in a public or suspicious place immediately evokes that historical terror. Add to that, the belief by many in the Black community, that Blacks don’t die by suicide or that, given its historical context, a Black man would never hang himself. The reality is that two things can be true at the same time. Yes, there has been a brutal history of violence against Black Americans. Lynching of Black Americans was often a tool to not only punish Blacks, but to strike terror in Black communities. It would be naive to believe that lynchings totally ceased after 1950. At the same time, it is also true that according to the CDC, Black Americans have seen their overall suicide death rate climb 53% between 2014 and 2024, more than 10 times faster than white people and twice as high as Latinos and Native Americans. Black boys and young men ages 16 to 29 are dying by suicide at a rate that is higher than white boys and young men despite the fact that across all age groups, white men are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than Black men. The crisis for young Black men peaks between ages 20 and 24. It is also true that in the United States, while firearms are the leading method of suicide among Black males, the second leading cause is suffocation (including hanging) and poisoning. Yes, there is a legacy of racial violence. And while lower rates of thorough homicide investigations in marginalized communities leads to legitimate reasons to doubt quick suicide rulings, we also cannot ignore the fact that we are losing too many young Black men to suicide. There are many possible explanations as to why, like increased access to firearms, socioeconomic and community stress including violence, discrimination and racism, a lack of culturally competent mental health care, and stigma associated with admitting mental health struggles. We clearly have a number of issues, none of which have easy solutions. There remains a racial divide in this country, that impacts both the perception and performance of our justice system as it pertains to Blacks, easily lending itself to mistrust. There is a tolerance of violence against Black Americans that seems only to be recognized by the very community that lacks the power or resources to change it. And there is still a belief by many in the Black community, that black people don’t die by suicide, while the numbers say otherwise. I can’t say whether the individual deaths of these Black men were the result of murder or suicide. What I can say is that suicide in the Black community is a real issue. I can also say that each loss creates a ripple effect of pain and grief for family and friends left behind; family and friends who deserve to have the loss of their loved one treated with dignity and respect; family and friends who rightfully demand justice. Whether it is law enforcement, a coroner, a media outlet, or a social media post, respect the fact that those left behind to grieve the loss of a loved one deserve empathy, and closure. And they deserve to have their loved one’s memory treated as if their life mattered. #StopSuicide

If you are a person of faith, whether Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. and you are living with mental health challenges, and your faith leader has told you that your challenges are the result of being spiritually weak, lacking faith, or that you just need to pray more, my advice to you is say a prayer, take your meds, and then find yourself a new place to worship. That one can’t fully appreciate or support you. #StopSuicide

Early voting has begun for the 2026 midterm elections. The choices we make at the polls impact not only our future, but the future of our children? What kind of world do you want for the young people in your life? Don’t just vote based on party affiliation, personal biases, race, or gender. Vote with your heart and conscience. Vote for people and policies that will create the kind of world you’d want for your children, and that they will want to live in. #StopSuicide

Easy like Sunday morning. #StopSuicide #BeHereTomorrow #WeightliftingIsMyTherapy #988Lifeline @JudgeWren @DrHowardLiu @DrAmandaMcGough @PatCothamMeck @javeedsukhera @afspnational @Action_Alliance @MentalHealthAm @NAMICommunicate @Action_Alliance @fia_maxie @bmhaofficial @nasw

Real men vote! #Vote #BeTheChange

There was a time in history when people believed the world was flat. There was a time in history when enslaving another human was not only tolerated, but legislated. There was a time in history when it was believed to be within a man’s rights, to physically discipline his wife. To most of us, these things seem foolish now, but the reality is, there are still those among us who would argue that the world is flat. There are still those who believe that Blacks benefited from being enslaved. There are still those who believe that when a woman is physically assaulted by a man, she is somehow responsible for her fate. The point is that there will always be fools among us, who cling to foolish notions. Those fools will always be confident in their foolishness. We can’t change their foolery, and we can’t eliminate the fools. But we can simply outnumber them. We must hold fast to our own truths, those we know to be embedded in love for our fellow man, love for ourselves, faith in our creator, and hope for humanity. And we must never be afraid to speak truth to foolishness. #StopSuicide

I can’t speak for all men, but I can tell you this. If I were to ever confide in you that I was struggling mentally or emotionally, or that I felt afraid or vulnerable, regardless whether or not you believe my pain is real, or that my feelings were justified, if you minimized my feelings, or ridiculed me, or made me feel small, or embarrassed for talking about it, I would never open up to you again. Men need “safe” space, not “brave” space. Besides, unless you’ve walked in my shoes, you couldn’t possibly know my pain. #StopSuicide

Suicide in Black and Brown communities is a reality and the rates are increasing, especially among young people. Suicide prevention efforts need multicultural collaboration, recognizing different perspectives and experience to enrich and strengthen solutions for diverse communities. We need interventions that take into account the nuances of race and culture. Not all communities have been socialized to see the impact of suicide on their communities in the same way, and stigma can look different in different communities. #StopSuicide

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my passion is suicide prevention. I have dedicated my career to working with organizations, communities, and individuals to end stigma and normalize the conversation regarding suicide prevention. Suicide is not only a problem in the US. Around the world, we lose someone to suicide every 40 seconds. And believe it or not, there are many countries where even expressing suicidal intent is a criminal offense. I applaud organizations like East African Mental Health Network, @EACMentalHealth, a collaboration of 8 East African countries working to decriminalize suicide and de-stigmatize suicide prevention. I had the opportunity to chat with them while representing @afspnational at the 6th International Zero Suicide Summit. The more we support, encourage, and collaborate with organizations like EACMHN, the better chance we have of eliminating suicide globally. #StopSuicide #ZeroSuicideSummit #SuicidePrevention @zerosuicide_org @kalama_onesmus

Culture and cultural background including values, traditions, and beliefs, matter in a person’s journey and unique pathway to recovery. Mental health services should be culturally grounded, and resources need to be sensitive to the nuances of race and culture, as well as personalized to meet each individual’s unique needs. #StopSuicide

As I watch my boys maturing into young men, exploring their independence, and making potentially life altering choices, I realize that at this point, much of who they will be is already instilled in them. I can’t help but ask myself, if I have prepared them to be strong, kind, confident young men. What life lessons should I have taught them? Big boys don’t cry? Never show weakness? Real men take control? No, what I hope I have taught them is: 1) There is strength in vulnerability. 2) Never be too “strong” to admit you’re hurting or to ask for help. 3) Find your purpose in life and pursue it with passion. 4) Don’t just strive to do good, or to be perceived as good, but strive to “ be” good. 5) Seek to make the world a better place by your having been here. 6) Always know that Daddy loves you, I am proud of you, and you’ll never be too “grown” for me to tell you so. #StopSuicide

Easy like Sunday morning. #StopSuicide #BeHereTomorrow #WeightliftingIsMyTherapy #988Lifeline @JudgeWren @DrHowardLiu @DrAmandaMcGough @PatCothamMeck @javeedsukhera @afspnational @Action_Alliance @MentalHealthAm @NAMICommunicate @Action_Alliance @fia_maxie @bmhaofficial @nasw