A Community Found In Grief
AFSP logo. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.
By KARLEIGH YANCY/ Staff Contributor
Typically, Saturdays at UT Tyler are quiet. Most students aren’t on campus, and many events from the week are already over.
However, on Sept. 30, the normally empty lawn in front of the University Center finds itself littered with booths, volunteers carrying brightly decorated signs, and visitors with various colors of beads around their necks. They aren’t there to walk in a marathon or celebrate a sports game.
These people are all here to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
John Ruiz and Serena Nieto hang a picture of Sergio Castaneda. Photo courtesy of Karleigh Yancy.
Since 2015, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has been hosting their “Out of the Darkness” walk here in Tyler. Primarily serving as a fundraiser, the walk has also become a way for people to connect with a community who may share in a struggle that most probably won’t be able to relate to. At the walk, they can meet with volunteers from local mental health resources, like the Andrews Center or Mosaic Counseling.
Starting at 9:00, people filter in. Attendees include people who lost a loved one to suicide, people who have made previous attempts on their lives or have mental health struggles, people who have lost children, and more. Just to the right of the registration booth, visitors hang photos of their loved ones lost to suicide and choose beads to wear. The color of the beads have individual meaning correlating to why someone might be supporting the cause, and serve as a way to show solidarity with others who have gone through similar situations.
Babygirl and Marisela Paris walk to honor Marisela’s stepbrother, Caleb Miez. Photo courtesy of Karleigh Yancy.
Throughout the day, people are able to connect and share stories of their loved ones or of their own personal struggles. It’s even encouraged by speakers, who repeat one of AFSP’s slogans throughout the day: “Talk saves lives.”
Each year people heed this call, and each year the attendance grows bigger.
“I think the stigma related to mental health and suicide is very slowly being lifted,” says Kay Pleasant, chair member of the North Texas Board of the AFSP.
The Tyler walk raised $48,551, exceeding its set goal of $45,000.