Taraji P. Henson addresses HBCU students’ mental health with new Wellness Pods

Actress Taraji P. Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation has teamed up with Kate Spade New York to provide “wellness pods” to HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) across the United States.

Aiming to offer resources for more than 25,000 women, the physical safe spaces known as “She Care Wellness Pods” include virtual and in-person therapy sessions, psychoeducation sessions and various workshops such as yoga, art, sound and dance therapy. 

“You’ve got to take care of the women first because we drive change. Women are the change in most cases, and so if you want to save the world, you save the women first,” Henson told WWD. “Black women, we suffer from a myriad of disparities and health, pay, social injustices. No one really hears us when we’re saying we don’t feel well or we’re not doing well mentally today, so we want to provide safe spaces for these young women.”

Taraji P. Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation and Kate Spade expect to help more than 25,000 Black women at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) with “She Care Wellness Pods” (Photo by Brian Stukes/Getty Images)

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that nearly 60% of female students experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in 2021. destigmatizing mental health with an investment of more than $5 million this year. 

For Henson and Kate Spade New York, this partnership made sense. Kate Spade New York — a champion of good mental health, especially after the brand’s eponymous founder took her life in 2018 — has pledged to provide mental health resources to women and to destigmatize mental health with an investment of more than $5 million this year.

“Our social impact mission is to empower women and girls across the globe by putting mental health at the heart of our approach,” said Liz Fraser, Kate Spade New York chief executive officer and brand president. “Women’s and girls’ mental health has long been underfunded, undervalued, and under-acknowledged, and we are so proud of our partnership with Taraji, Tracie [Jade Jenkins, Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation executive director], and The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, an organization that shares our commitment to providing mental health resources to communities that need it the most.”

In addition to the She Care Wellness Pods specifically designed for female-identifying individuals, the Henson foundation plans to introduce He Care and They Care Wellness Pods as part of its Meeting You Where You Are initiative. These empowering programs aim to provide easy access to mental wellness resources in both conventional and unconventional spaces where African Americans gather.

The Howard University alumna launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 in honor of her father, who suffered mental health challenges without resources or support, WWD reported. On a mission to improve mental health in Black communities by building culturally competent resources, programs and education across the country, the foundation acknowledges how things have changed in the last five years. While there’s been an increase in mental health discussions in the Black community, more work remains to be done, especially among young people. 

“We’re always trying to eradicate the stigma, and how you do that is you get people talking about it. If you have these pods on campus, there’s no way you can ignore that,” Henson said. “Hopefully, we’ll see a rise in African American and Brown students wanting to start a career in the mental health field because we don’t have enough therapists, clinicians, and practitioners. When you talk about trying to get culturally competent therapists or finding a Black therapist or psychiatrist who can understand what you’re going through on a day-to-day basis, we don’t have it.” 

The first “She Care Wellness Pod” will debut Saturday at Alabama State University, according the the school’s website.

TheGrio Lifestyle reporter Haniyah Philogene contributed to this article.

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