Read on Twitter
To begin, we& #39;re live tweeting Dr. Sherry Davis Molock& #39;s talk on Mental & Emotional Health and Wellbeing at the #2020GilliamMeeting, follow here for updates!
First, Dr. Molock introduces herself as a mother, grandmother, wife, church member, dog and Toni Morrison lover alongside her professional identities as a researcher of suicide in communities of color and HIV in youth populations
"Relationship is more important than task" #2020GilliamMeeting
*Warning* This thread will be discussing suicide, particularly in communities of color
College students with a history of loss, school pressures, and problems with family and peer relationships show higher rates of prevalence of suicide
Suicide attempts have increased by 73% between 1991-2017 by Black adolescents. Rates are increased in LGBT communities and now, we& #39;re seeing, for many communities during COVID isolation.
"You can put a clinic on every corner. If we don& #39;t change the stigma associated with mental health, it won& #39;t matter."
"Part of my role as a mentor is to be a cheerleader.... hang in there .... we are almost there!" #2020GilliamMeeting
"It& #39;s important to pay attention when people say & #39;I& #39;m a little down today". Cultural differences can make it difficult to articulate or share how people are really feeling around you
"Exposure to racial discrimination is very traumatizing" African Americans are statistically much less likely to reach out when having thoughts of suicidal idealization
"If people don& #39;t have housing, how can they have emotional well-being?" Protective factors help us adapt to different levels of hardship: familial support, religious engagement, community support, and personal factors like self esteem, and income, housing.
"People don& #39;t just notice your presence, they notice your absence"
We should ask: how can we address our needs? How can we help our friends address their needs?
We should ask: how can we address our needs? How can we help our friends address their needs?
"The degree to which people feel like they DON& #39;T matter is the extent to which they feel marginalized"
"Calls to crisis centers and hotlines have gone up by 800% [during COVID]... African-Americans and Latinx males typically don& #39;t use hotlines...Not all cultural groups use the resources out there"
“We are all in this together. We need to extend grace to each other.” 
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"I ask my undergraduate and graduate students all the time, everyday, what did you do to play today? You need to play every day."
"Every community has to challenge themselves every day whether they are welcoming or not... I really try to make sure I go out out my way to make people feel welcome and accepted and celebrated for who they are"
“People who attempt to die by suicide actually don’t want to die, but want to find a way to escape... You have to take care of yourself. You have to have outlets to express your stress”
