On Thursday, November 2, award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson announced plans to continue her quest for mental health awareness at Hampton University. Henson made the announcement with her foundation, The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, a new mental health initiative garnered toward improving mental health for black women. The actress has also partnered with Kate Spade New York, and the new initiative is reportedly set to work with the university. Together, the organizations have revealed what is being called the She Care Wellness Pod. Henson’s wellness pods aim to allow space for students to relax, decompress, and focus on their psyches.
Henson is intimately aware of her platform and influence in society and is openly choosing to use that platform to raise awareness and tangibly tackle the issue. Speaking on the issue, Henson said, “You know, when we see the numbers and how we are suffering more than any other demographic, you feel compelled to do, you feel like saying something.” She added, “I have a platform, and this is how I am choosing to use it.”
Henson’s new nationwide program is specifically geared towards Black women on Historic Black Colleges (HBCU) campuses. However, her She Care Wellness Pods are open for all to use. Among the numerous advantages of these pods is the free therapy sessions they aim to provide for female students. Additional therapeutic methods and activities featured within the wellness pods include art, meditation, yoga, and drama therapy. Hampton University showed its support and enthusiasm for the partnership with a tweet the following day, Friday, November 3. The tweet, which accompanied the hashtag #onehampton, stated, “Yesterday we welcomed the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation and Kate Spade New York to our home by the sea for the She Care Wellness pods grand opening hosted by the student counseling department. What a great way to nourish the campus’s mental wellness!”
Neither the platform that Henson has earned nor her upbringing has been lost on the actress as she spoke about how delighted her father would be to see the work she is doing. “I just feel like my father would be very proud of me.” She continued, “He would always say when I was a little girl, ‘When you are blessed, be a blessing.’ And I feel like that’s what I’m doing.” Henson is not only proud of her efforts to champion a vital cause, but as a well-known graduate of Hampton University, she is also grateful for the chance to give back to those who helped her during her collegiate journey by providing productive, healthy spaces for current and future students.
Hampton president and alumnus Darrell K. Williams stated that he was one hundred percent on board with the project, of which Hampton University is among the first schools to receive the Wellness Pods. Williams said, “The message it sends to students: mental [health] is important.” The university president added, “You don’t have to suffer in silence. How can you provide the best experience for students in America and not talk about the issue of mental health?” Williams makes an invaluable point, and Henson’s She Care Wellness Pods are sure to make a positive impact in this area.
