Watson Coleman’s work in the House centers on her belief that, in the United States of America, there’s a floor below which we should never allow any child, any family, any person to fall. Knowing that millions struggle every day just to make ends meet from the first to the last of the month, her legislative work seeks to bridge the gap for these Americans, making sure that the richest nation in the world doesn’t allow millions to live below the poverty line; doesn’t allow vulnerable groups to suffer the fallout of environmental violations; doesn’t allow profit margins to define the standards or the motivations for incarceration; and doesn’t allow bias to push everyday needs like car insurance out of reach for working families.
Over the last several years, data has emerged indicating an alarming increase in the suicide rates for Black children and teenagers over the past generation. While research has also shown climbing rates for youth from other racial and ethnic groups, this trend in Black youth runs counter to historical data showing lower rates of suicide among Black Americans. The narrowing racial gap in suicide rates tells us that this emergent issue among Black youth warrants attention now. A cadre of Black researchers from across the United States has been ringing the alarm to raise awareness about this disturbing trend. On April 30, 2019, U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman established he Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, simultaneously empowering a working group, led by Dr. Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, Executive Director of the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, of experts composed of the country’s leading Black academic, advocacy and practicing experts in this space. Over the past 8 months, the taskforce and working group have held hearings, forums, events and listening sessions to identify both the causes and potential solutions to this burgeoning crisis. On December 17, the taskforce released a report, and simultaneously introduced legislation aimed at closing the mental health care gap for black youth.