September 23, 2025

Congresswoman Watson Coleman Introduces Resolution to Recognize the Continuing Disparities in Black Youth Mental Health Access and Treatment

Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) introduced a resolution recognizing the continuing disparities in mental health access and treatment for Black youth.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents across this country. Despite the overall youth suicide rate moving toward a downward trend, the suicide rate for Black youth remains higher in most publicly reported data. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, from 2007 to 2023, the suicide rate rose 149% for Black adolescents. One in five Black high school students reported having seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.

In 2019, Congresswoman Watson Coleman chaired the Congressional Black Caucus’s Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, which empowered a working group of experts to publish a report entitled “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.” The report included several recommendations, some of which were taken into consideration by the Biden administration. Since then, the Trump administration has been rolling back on any progress made, while the disparities in addressing Black youth mental health remain.

“The Trump administration's war on anything that hints at Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility or at recognizing racial disparities in outcomes, including health outcomes, has stalled any progress on closing the racial gap in health,” said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. “But ignoring the problem does not make it go away. America’s children are in crisis. Every suicide is not just a tragedy, but avoidable. This resolution recognizes this crisis and the need to enact studied and proven solutions to save our children.”

This resolution calls for the House of Representatives to:

  • Recognizes the continuing disparities in Black youth mental health access and treatment;

  • Calls on the current administration to address these disparities by continuing the work of the previous administration and incorporating recommendations from “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America”;

  • Recognizes the importance of creating conversations in Black communities regarding mental health, encouraging individuals to seek help to prevent suicide and suicide attempts, and providing education programming, such as L.E.T.S. Save Lives, to reduce cultural stigma, foster conversations about mental health, and raise awareness of suicide prevention;

  • Calls for increased funding for all programs supporting mental health; and

  • Supports the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) remaining an independent agency and not being absorbed into the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).

The resolution is endorsed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the American Psychological Association (APA), The Defensive Line, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), NYU McSilver Institute, and the Trevor Project.

"The Trevor Project applauds this resolution by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman during National Suicide Prevention Month,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project. “Our research shows that Black youth -- particularly Black LGBTQ+ young people -- face disproportionately higher rates of suicide risk and mental health challenges, compounded by systemic barriers to care. Living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities exposes Black LGBTQ+ youth to heightened levels of discrimination, all while navigating a world that too often overlooks or rejects them. Expanding access to culturally competent mental healthcare for Black youth, including those who are LGBTQ+, isn't a political issue -- it's a critical step toward saving young lives."

"Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 10–14 in 2023, and rising fastest among black youth,” said Laurel Stine, J.D., M.A., Executive Vice President and Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “It is critical to fund research and expand programs that reduce barriers to care, and AFSP applauds Representative Watson Coleman for her continued leadership and recognition of the urgent need to improve mental health access, particularly for Black youth.”

The Black Mental Health Resolution is cosponsored by Reps. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Andre Carson (IN-07), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Johnathan Jackson (IL-01), Hank Johnson (GA-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24).

 

Text of the resolution can be found here.