Here at The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, we aren’t really interested in coronating villains, and the goal of this post is not to pile on the think pieces that have already responded to the structures and consequences of those structures evidenced in the reporting from The Washington Post. Our goal is really to talk through intentionality and better understanding the consequences that our decisions have in the real world – even when that is tough to talk about.
Last month suicide took a prominent place across the news cycle when we learned of the death Stephen Bass, who most of the world knew by the name tWitch. The response to his death is both eye-opening and predictable, and I’m writing to all of you because I have to confess that I’ve been on both sides of this response. Until recently, when I chose to join The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, I used to think about the same lies of suicide that you’re hearing and seeing across social media and articles right now:
He was selfish.
He wasn’t thinking about his family.
He had so much going for him.
No one could have seen this coming.
As National Suicide Prevention Month comes to a close, Mayor Parker talks with Kristi Wiley and Isaac Manning from the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation about their efforts in North Texas to eradicate suicide by funding depression research, creating awareness through education, and battling the stifling stigma.
On this episode of the Raising Joy, our own Kristi Wiley with the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation joins Guidance and Counseling Coordinator Kasey Holder and Mansfield Independent School District, MISD student Kaylee Berger on the podcast. They share how the program has changed the culture at school and why they think giving students tools to help their friends is saving lives.
