Equity
Each year, Lines for Life reflects on the progress made toward building a more compassionate, accessible, and equitable behavioral health system. Our 2025 Annual Report highlights work moving beyond awareness and into action. Work that addresses long-standing gaps in access, representation, and trust.
For Oregon’s Tribal communities, healing and prevention begin with culture, identity, connection, and traditions passed down through generations. That belief is at the heart of the partnership between Lines for Life and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB).
At Lines for Life, our mission to prevent substance abuse and suicide is rooted in compassion, cultural responsiveness, and a deep commitment to equity. This July, we recognize BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month by reflecting on the unique mental health challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and the importance of creating spaces that honor and uplift their experiences.
At Lines for Life, our Equity Team honors Juneteenth not just in remembrance. Through action we recognize that freedom is more than a moment in history. It is the ongoing pursuit of equity, wellness, and opportunity for Black communities. That’s why our work is rooted in ensuring everyone has access to culturally responsive mental health tools and resources, substance use prevention, and community-centered support systems.
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.
Lines for Life Honors API Heritage Month This May, Lines for Life celebrates the diverse cultures and rich histories of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community by honoring API Heritage Month. Why May? May holds special significance for API heritage in America, as it commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the United...
Lines for Life honors Juneteenth as a reminder of the struggle toward freedom for Black Americans. We recognize the hardships that racism continues to inflict on Black communities and we embrace Juneteenth as a time to acknowledge these hardships, celebrate progress, and honor the culture, history, and strength of Black communities. Lines for...
My grandfather and father faced exclusionary codes that made entering the United States and gaining citizenship impossible. Both worked on the railroads, which was how a lot of Chinese immigrants came into the country at the time – making much lower wages than workers of other races. As a boy, Dad lived in the United States during worldwide...
In high school, I first realized I had a serious problem with my brain. I got my driver’s license, started a job, got accepted into college, and was close to graduating – but I still felt despair. I had no clue why I felt so heavy in my chest, failing to feel happy about all these milestones I expected to be excited about. I grew up Catholic in a...
Asians, like people of all races, can and do experience mental health challenges throughout their lives. Because of cultural norms, their experiences are often made to be invisible. Mental health is rarely talked about in Asian communities and is often seen as a “white person’s disease.” Because of that, fewer and fewer Asian people get the...
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.