AFSP Launches The Upright with Virtual Three-Part Series to Promote Health Equity and Foster Collaboration Among Suicide Prevention Experts

NEW YORK (Oct. 16, 2025) - The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a leading suicide prevention organization, recently launched The Upright, — a collection of AFSP's resources including research, programs, and policy — that aims to advance health equity in suicide prevention. The Upright is a part of AFSP's commitment to support communities with disproportionate impacts related to suicide. 

Creating The Upright stems from research that tells us that developing suicide prevention strategies for underrepresented individuals needs to be anchored with the understanding that communities have unique lived experiences and need to see their experiences and identities reflected in resources. The Upright promotes resources that acknowledge the critical gaps in access, representation, and cultural relevance in mental health care by engaging direct input from the communities we strive to support.  

As part of The Upright launch, AFSP is hosting The Summit, an online three-part series that brings together local and national experts who are connecting communities and driving change in the suicide prevention field. AFSP Vice President for Health Equity and Engagement Victor Armstrong will lead and facilitate the conversations around health equity in suicide prevention and spotlight community-based programs showing measurable impact in suicide prevention. 

Events 

• Tuesday, October 28, 2 - 4:15 p.m. EST: The organization Comunilife will share how "Life is Precious” created with and for the Latine/Hispanic community, is impacting mental health and suicide prevention in the lives of Latina adolescents and families. "Life is Precious” provides individual and group counseling, art therapy, academic support, parent education and engagement, nutritional and fitness activities, and connection for Latina girls ages 13-18. Visit here to participate.  

• Monday, November 17, 2 - 4:15 p.m. EST: Hope Center Harlem, a center offering mental health support to the Harlem community through a faith-based hub, will share information about their programs and how to create equitable access to mental health resources. Visit here to participate.   

• Thursday, December 11, 2 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. EST: Qungasvik, a program developed by Yup’ik communities to reduce and prevent alcohol use disorder (AUD) and suicide in 12–18-year-old Yup’ik Alaska Native youth, will share information about their community-based participatory research approach and intervention model. Visit here to participate.   

"It is critical that communities are equipped with resources they are willing to utilize and that consider their lived experiences and needs,” said Armstrong. “By acknowledging the differences in how these communities live, work, play, and worship, we can address mental health equity and close the gap that exists in support and treatment accessibility and effectiveness.”  

Learn more at https://afsp.org/the-upright/ and tune in to The Summit on October 28.  

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The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with its Policy and Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.   

Media interested in speaking with AFSP on this news are encouraged to fill out this press request form and review AFSP’s Ethical Reporting Guidelines.