Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, good evening. I thank Jonathan Jackson for co-anchoring this important discussion on tonight's Special Order hour for the Congressional Black Caucus and to Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick for her tremendous leadership on all of our Special Order hours. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus to recognize the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. I thank Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman for her tremendous leadership on this very important issue, as well as each of our members for their work in addressing mental health, specifically in the Black community. Today, it is estimated that one out of every five American adults experiences mental health illnesses each year. In the United States, 21 percent of Black Americans reported having a mental illness, however, just 39 percent received mental health services. In recent years, the suicide rate among Black youth has been found to be increasing faster than any other racial or ethnic group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is now the third leading cause of death for Black male adolescents and young adults in our country. Over the last 30 years, we have seen a 160 percent rise in the suicide rate for young Black men. The statistics regarding mental health in the Black community are alarming, yet it has received very little attention from this Congress.…”