Black History Month
Barbershops have always been more than just places for a fresh fade or a lineup. For generations, they’ve served as trusted community spaces—where conversations flow freely, where advice is given, and where people feel safe. Now, in Portland, they’re becoming something even more powerful: hubs for mental health support.
Mental health care is essential for everyone, but many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) face stigma, discrimination, and a lack of culturally responsive support. These barriers often prevent individuals from seeking help.
Supporting each other and working together is how Black folks survived the horrors of slavery, and continue to survive family separation, state-sanctioned oppression and more. Black Joy is made possible by community members looking out for one another and lifting each other up through the toughest of times.
I recently had the privilege, with Lines for Life’s Equity Team, of visiting Portland State University to speak with Rebound – a unique program serving formerly incarcerated individuals who are rebuilding their lives by attending college. Rebound provides resources and support, including peer support, for students in the program, who may otherwise have a difficult time transitioning from prison life to student life.
Suicide rates among Black children and young adults between the ages of 10-24 have increased dramatically over the past few years.
There is so much stigma against mental health and suicide in the Black and Creole cultures, but many of us are working to break that stigma. I’ve always been interested in mental health. My family moved to Southwest Louisiana over 300 years ago as one of the premier and largest Creole families.
January 21st, 2023, marked Lines for Life’s first annual Barbershop Conversation in partnership with Kingdom Kuts, a local barbershop in Portland, Oregon. It was packed with people from Portland’s Black and Brown communities to talk about the importance of community and receiving support for mental health.
We are trying to diversify the mental health workforce by aligning with community partners, Black-owned businesses, and Black-owned mental health facilities.
As Lines for Life celebrates Black History Month, it is important to learn the history behind this celebration of the culture and strength of Black Americans as well as their countless contributions to this country. This February, we highlight the accomplishments of Black Americans that have defined history as well as Lines for Life staff and...
Black History Month is a time to reflect and celebrate the history, culture, and strength of Black Americans as well as their countless contributions to this country. There are many “firsts” that Black people and communities are still achieving daily. We want to uplift and magnify the historic and notable accomplishments of influential Black...
Why do we commemorate so-called “Black” History Month? What does “Black” have to do with a people’s accomplishments? We don’t call the history of the United States “White” History, so I would like for you to ask yourself sincerely, why are the words “Black” or “African American” normalized when it comes to our people…? The last time I checked,...
Growing up in Oakland had its challenges, I knew that it wasn’t a place I wanted to live in forever. Like many Urban areas there was poverty, drug use, and gang violence that I witnessed throughout my life, and it was something that I didn’t want for myself. However, it wasn’t until after I left that I realized and appreciated the culture, the...
When asked what it means to support our community, Derric Thompson said, “Just being available. I’m sharing resources, staying involved, volunteering, and making myself an essential worker.” Derric co-founded a youth mentorship program, Leaders Become Legends, that supports young Black men as they secure employment, get into stable housing,...