Each backpack told a story.
And there were 1,000 of them displayed Tuesday on the lawn at San Jose State, part of a national campaign by the nonprofit group Active Minds calling for greater attention to suicide prevention efforts.
Among college-age adults, suicide is the second-leading cause of death, says Active Minds. The backpacks, scattered in the quad area between Tower Hall and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, were used to relay personal stories from both suicide victims and survivors.
San Jose State student Mariah Ramirez was visibly moved by the field of backpacks. Instead of continuing to the library where the film student planned to study, she paused for half an hour to write about it in her journal. “It’s so powerful,” she said.
Sarah Strader-Garcia, a clinical counselor and adviser for the school’s student-run mental health club who helped set up the display, said: “We’re just trying to remove the stigma about mental health and encouraging people to talk about it and get help.”
More information about Active Minds is available at www.activeminds.org/programs/send-silence-packing. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK.
Source: www.mercurynews.com