DABO’s Project Rainbow, DPSCD’s Faith Based Council, and Actress Erika Alexander to Educate Community on Suicide Prevention

Detroit – Project Rainbow, an initiative of The Detroit Association of Black Organizations (DABO), announced today the celebrity keynote speaker for the Stop Suicide forum, an event to raise suicide awareness. DABO and the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Faith Based Council will cohost the forum at Grace Community Church, 21001 Moross Rd., on June 9 at 8:30 a.m.

Award winning actress Erika Alexander will deliver the keynote address. Alexander, recently in the third-biggest R-rated horror movie ever in North America, “Get Out”, will share her story and encourage the community to recognize and respond to people at potential risk for suicide.

“I was recently at a Detroit school with Erika Alexander and every hand in the room was raised when I asked who here knows someone or has a family member who committed suicide,” said Rev. Horace Sheffield, III, CEO of DABO and QPR Trainer. “Recent research reveals that suicide is the second highest cause of death for African American youth. The only way we can impact this is to train people on how to prevent suicide.”

In Michigan, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 15-34. The Stop Suicide forum is one of many citywide QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) trainings as part of Project Rainbow’s initiative to create a suicide free community.

In addition to QPR training, DPSCD’s Faith Based Council will provide SOAR Training, aimed at teaching children to read. Both trainings are available to the public free of charge.

Breakfast will be available at 8:30 a.m. thanks to the DPSCD Faith Based Council. Oak Street Health and the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority (DWMHA) are also sponsors of this event. More than 200 members of the community are expected to attend the Stop Suicide Forum.

To reserve your seat, please register online at www.stopsuicideforum.eventbrite.com. Admission is free. For additional information about the event or Project Rainbow, contact the Detroit Association of Black Organizations at (313) 491-0003.