As a way to celebrate Mental Health Awareness month IRL, actress Taraji P. Henson has announced that a summit surrounding the issue will be coming very soon after the commemorative month. Henson announced that her newly created foundation, the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, will be hosting a two day Conference and Benefit Dinner on June 7-9 in her hometown of Washington, D.C.
At the summit, entitled Can We Talk?, 350-400 guests including therapists, counselors, social workers, influencers, community organizations, and policy makers will gather together to “identify national trends that have been barriers to mental health treatment in the black community.” These discussions will also center around ways to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health and how to funnel help to those who need it most.
Keynote speakers include Taraji P. Henson and Charlamagne Tha God, with Idris Elba’s daughter Isan Elba serving as the conference’s Youth Council Ambassador. Proceeds from the luncheon will go towards access to therapy for black people who may not exactly have the means to do so themselves. Additionally The You Got This! campaign—which seeks to fundraise $500,000 to go towards mental health resources—will promote the cause from now until the event in June.
