National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 2023
As we take time to recognize National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we must acknowledge the link between mental health struggles and the vulnerabilities that human trafficking survivors often face. This month serves as a reminder that compassion, awareness, and support can help us combat these critical issues.
While these issues might seem distinct on the surface, they share a common thread – the human experience of pain and vulnerability. Human trafficking survivors frequently grapple with a range of mental health challenges due to the trauma, exploitation, and isolation they endure. Similarly, individuals struggling with mental health issues can be more susceptible to manipulation and coercion, potentially putting them at risk of being targeted by traffickers.
September offers an opportunity to unite the efforts of two essential awareness campaigns. By shedding light on the intersecting challenges faced by those affected by mental health struggles and human trafficking, we can emphasize the need for comprehensive support systems that address both physical and psychological well-being. The power of awareness lies in its ability to illuminate the connections we might otherwise overlook.
Supporting human trafficking survivors goes beyond immediate physical safety; it entails addressing the long-lasting emotional scars that survivors carry. Mental health services and trauma-informed care play a pivotal role in helping survivors rebuild their lives. By destigmatizing mental health discussions within survivor communities, we can empower them to seek help and reclaim their sense of self.
Many individuals vulnerable to human trafficking, such as runaway youth or those facing economic hardship, often confront mental health challenges that can make them targets for exploitation. Suicide Prevention Month reminds us that reaching out and providing resources for mental health support can be a proactive step in preventing individuals from falling into the clutches of traffickers.
Just as strong community support is crucial for suicide prevention, it's equally important for addressing human trafficking. Creating safe spaces where survivors can share their experiences, connect with others, and access mental health resources is an essential aspect of their healing journey. These networks offer a lifeline, reminding survivors that they are not alone and that help is available.
Suicide Prevention Month and human trafficking awareness serve as catalysts for advocacy and action. By supporting organizations dedicated to mental health and anti-trafficking efforts, we can contribute to a safer, more compassionate world. Our collective voice has the power to shape policies, drive change, and ensure that those affected by these issues receive the care and support they need.
By recognizing the connections between suicide prevention and human trafficking awareness, we can foster a world where empathy, understanding, and support are the cornerstones of our society. Whether through conversations, advocacy, or providing resources, each of us can play a role in illuminating a path to hope and healing.
Harriet Watch Party
Harriet Tubman had a huge impact on the fight against slavery in the United States through her influence and involvement in the Under Ground Railroad and the Union fight in the Civil War. The evidence of the amazing person Tubman was is overwhelming and her accomplishments are too many to count! This is why we chose to honor her in our very first watch party.
From her escape from slavery, to her dangerous missions to free thousands of slaves in the Under Ground Railroad, and world-changing role in helping the Union win the Civil War, Harriet Tubman has an incredible life story. She is one of the world’s greatest abolitionists and deserves much more recognition than she is given.
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Eastern Maryland some time between 1820 and 1821. Her original name was Armintina “Minty” Ross. During her childhood and life as a slave, she suffered from brutal abuse and grueling jobs by her slaveholders.
“I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.”
She rose from this adversary to emancipate herself and she risked her life repeatedly to liberate others.
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
At the threat of being sold by her owners like her sisters were, Harriet decided to escape. Determined and courageous, Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 and changed her name after her mom, Harriet. Soon she was known by a different name though. Because of Harriet’s resolution to not leave her family and fellow slaves behind, she became one of the most influential members of the Underground Railroad. She was soon called “The Conductor” and “Moses” because she personally liberated 70 people on more than a dozen missions and helped in the liberations of an estimate of 3,000 slaves.
“If I could have convinced more slaves were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.”
Because of her bravery and “unexplained” favor, she never lost a slave in their journeys from captivity to freedom. She was an overcomer from more than just slavery. Tubman suffered from narcolepsy because of a brain injury she sustained from a beating in childhood. During these narcolepsy spells she claimed to have spiritual experiences where God would speak to her through visions and lead her to safety.
“It wasn’t me, it was the Lord. I always told him, 'I trust you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,' and He always did.”
Harriet Tubman had many roles. She also served as a nurse, cook, and spy to Federal troops during the Civil War.. She led 150 black Union troops across the Combahee River in South Carolina in June 1863. During which she led Union riverboats through Confederate torpedo traps, where the troops burned the estates of influential Southern secessionists who supplied Confederate forces and freed 750 slaves!
Her activism didn’t end there. After the war, Tubman fought for women’s suffrage, raised funds to build schools for newly freed survivors of slavery (known as freedmen’s schools) during the Reconstruction Era, and donated her home for the care of the ill and elderly.
Harriet Tubman lived a life committed to liberty and honor for all people.
“I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.”