The suicide rate among African-American children doubled between 1993 and 2012, and one Detroit native hopes to stop the rate from increasing by breaking a stigma of silence.
“I had a lot of issues with myself like not really liking like how dark I was knowing that I was depressed but not really knowing how to kind of contract those emotions,” Stephanie Grimes said.
Stephanie Grimes is an African-American woman that grew up in Detroit. Ninth grade was the first time she attempted suicide.
She felt like she could not tell anyone, and she is not alone in this thinking. Especially within the African-American community, there is a stigma to be strong.
“It could be from like past from things that have happened from years and years ago as far as you know us trying to maintain that whole role of being strong and not letting people see us you know kind of crack under pressure,” Grimes said.
Grimes was able to get over the stigma after he last suicide attempt.
“After my six suicide attempt I was in a comma for two weeks and after that kind of whole out of body experience I think that’s when I kind of learned that it wasn’t my time to go,” Grimes said.
Grimes started her the non-profit organization Hope 360, three for the number of hospitals she was in, six for six attempts, and zero for god sparing her life.
She speaks out telling her story and struggles to let people know they are not alone and do not need to be ashamed.
“Giving you know the African American community that you know hope to say you know what I’ve been through this, we can get through this together,” Grimes said.
To find out more about Hope 360, click here.
