Hello to the Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

The Alpha Lambda chapter is calling all brothers to action to address a growing issue among Black men of all ages. For reasons known and unknown, Black men are turning towards suicide with increasing numbers. In 2020, suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death for Black individuals, ages 15 to 24, and Black men were 4x more likely to die by suicide than Black women. We as a community have been underprepared to handle the mental health issues for ourselves and for those around us. Let us take a step in the ALPHA direction to address this issue.

The Alpha Lambda chapter will be hosting its first ever mental health training on suicide first aid on Saturday September 9th from 2:00-4:00 PM in room 117 at Porter Education Building on UofL’s campus. Entitled Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Training is focused on helping mental health allies recognize the warning signs of suicide, and question, persuade, and refer people at risk for suicide for help. This training will focus specifically on issues concerning the Black community and Black Men.

Instructors:         Brittany Watkins, PhD, Epidemiologist

John Broaddus, UofL Sociology Doctoral Candidate

As a QPR-trained Gatekeeper we will learn to:

• Recognize the warning signs of suicide
• Know how to offer hope
• Know how to get help and save a life

Please RSVP by 11:59pm September 6th so that we can have an accurate headcount for handouts and other materials.

Willie F. McBride III, PhD HSP (he/him)

Assistant Professor

Clinical Neuropsychologist

Director, Adult/Geriatric Neuropsychology Emphasis Area

Director, Complete Neuropsychology Services

School of Professional Psychology

Spalding University

845 South Third Street

Louisville, KY 40203

Co-Founder, Society for Black Neuropsychology