Taraji P. Henson is on a mission to honor her late father and eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health in the African-American community. According to People, she just launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her dad who passed away in 2006 at age 58.
“I named the organization after my father because of his complete and unconditional love for me; his unabashed, unashamed ability to tell the truth, even if it hurt; and his strength to push through his own battles with mental health issues,” she said.
“My dad fought in the Vietnam War for our country, returned broken, and received little to no physical and emotional support,” Taraji added. “I stand now in his absence, committed to offering support to African Americans who face trauma daily, simply because they are black.”
The foundation will work to provide scholarships to Black students majoring in mental health, and provide mental health support in urban schools including therapists, social workers and counselors to African-American youth.
