作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2022年4月15日

4月14日，星期四晚上，当罗伯特·s·尼尔森总统冒着毛毛雨向站在WELL外的数百人发表讲话时，他的脖子上戴着一串白色珠子。 The beads told everyone participating in 萨克拉门托 State’s Out of the Darkness walk that he had lost a child to suicide.

其他人佩戴的珠子颜色反映了他们失去的东西：红色代表配偶，金色代表父母，紫色代表朋友。

• 查看更多“走出黑暗”行走的照片

“I walk for Seth,” Nelsen said tearfully of his son, who died by suicide when he was 25 years old. “To all of you who have had your hearts broken because of a loss, we care about you. 你将永远带着它，但你必须能够帮助有需要的人。 That’s what this walk is all about.”

该活动聚焦于自杀预防和心理健康意识，吸引了1000多名注册参与者，截至周五上午，为支持萨克拉门托地区需要服务的居民的项目筹集了27,000多美元。

游行者们打着五颜六色的雨伞，穿着雨披，在校园周围走了两英里的路线，以纪念那些自杀的人，以及那些继续遭受抑郁症和双相情感障碍等折磨的人。 通常，由于精神疾病的耻辱，人们在沉默中受苦。

“To this day, I’ve been quiet about what I go through,” student body president Samantha Elizalde told the crowd before the march began, sharing for the first time publicly that she struggles with anxiety and depression. “I felt like I was putting on a mask when I came to campus.”

She finally got help through the University’s Student Health and Counseling Services, and is feeling better, she said. “If you’re struggling, reach out for help. It could change your life, as it has changed mine.”

在油井内部，参与者在一块大黑板上草草写下游行的原因。 “For my Brother,” one said. “I miss calling you for recipes,” said another.

亚历克斯·伯德（Alex Byrd）是美国自杀预防基金会（American Foundation for Suicide Prevention）当地分会的董事会成员，她说，在一个雨夜，有那么多人来支持有心理健康问题的人及其家人，这让她感到非常震惊。

“You are sending a message,” Byrd said. “By showing up, you are demonstrating to others that suicide can no longer be ignored.”

她要求人们一组一组地举手，承认自己因自杀而失去了孩子、朋友或亲戚。

“You are not alone,” she said, over and over. “You are not alone.”