Taraji P. Henson has launched a new service providing online therapy for African-Americans whose mental health has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Many U.S. citizens are experiencing hardship due to lockdowns brought in to slow the spread of COVID-19, and Taraji is worried that many African-Americans will not be able to afford, nor want to seek professional help.
To help those in need, her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation will provide five free counseling sessions online from April 15, 2020.
“This campaign is for under-served communities experiencing life-changing events related to, or triggered by, the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said in a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
“In the African American community, we’ve been taught to tough it out, hide our suffering, but this is something none of us have ever experienced, and no one should suffer in silence.”
The Empire star also urged fans with means to donate to help fund the new service, by texting NOSTIGMA to the number 707070.
Taraji founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018, naming the charity after her late father, who suffered with mental health problems after serving in the Vietnam War.
