BMH Connect seeks to promote the emotional health of Black children who suffer from high rates of stress related to racial discrimination in the United States. Our programming focuses on giving Black youth the education and coping skills needed to manage racial trauma and empower them to reclaim their childhood.
Research shows rates of suicide in Black children have increased 73% since 1991. Suicide ideas, plans, and attempts have, in turn, been connected to psychological stress in response to racial discrimination incidents in Black children. In a country where they are seen as older, aggressive, and more promiscuous than their White peers, Black children don't have a space to be that...Kids.
The lack of emotional support for Black children in America is having deadly effects. Black children lack the coping skills to manage racial stress and are using suicidal behavior to cope. Our mission is to save the lives of Black children by using play to help them heal from negative racial experiences.
BMH (Black Mental Health) Connect was created to provide space for Black youth and their caregivers to learn positive coping skills to deal with racial stress and trauma. We believe Black children deserve the time and space to work through the stress of being a Black child in America through fun, laughter, and play-based interventions that inspire real conversations.
