LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One local group is making sure men of color have a safe place to express themselves.
The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) is providing free counseling during the entire month of October - specifically for young Black, Hispanic and Indigenous men.
"Suicide rates for men of color has risen over the past two years and lack to services was one of the reasons why," Nannette Dix, organizer, said.
Dix said the office will connect each man with a counselor in their neighborhood.
OSHN decided to offer guidance after seeing the suicide rates in Jefferson County. According to statistics from Jefferson County Coroner Office, people of color under the age of 25 accounted for 40% of suicides in 2021.
However, Dix said minority men are the least likely to seek help first. She said many of them suppress feelings of worthlessness, which stems from exposure to violence, poverty and racial injustice.
"Especially in the African American community. We're always told to toughen up so what we do is just bottle it up and keep on moving because that's what we're taught. Push it down and keep in moving," she said.
But now, she said men will have a chance to stop and unpack their pain.
"Some of us are born with baggage from generations, and then you add your own stuff in there so you feel bogged down and heavy. Just getting some of that off is very beneficial so come in and unpack that load."
If you want to schedule an in person or over the phone counseling session, call 502-901-0100 at any time.
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