September 2024 | Volume 17 | Issue 11
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By SARAH OWENS
T
racie Blackmon and Thea Dudley are members of a club they never asked to join, one to which nobody ever hopes to get an invitation. Even though they never wished to be numbered among the family members who have survived a loved one’s suicide, Blackmon and Dudley are glad they found others who understand their pain. Both women got involved in suicide prevention after attending an Out of the Darkness Walk hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “At that walk, I found people that knew what I had been through,” Blackmon said. “They weren’t looking at me in any kind of judging way. I didn’t have to worry about them saying anything weird; they just got it.” Blackmon, who lives off of Cahaba Valley Road, was 7 years old when she lost her mother, Judy, to suicide in 1982. Because of the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health at the time, and with a father who didn’t believe in counseling even after her mother’s death, she struggled to cope with the loss. As a result, Blackmon suffered from her own mental health issues, even attempting
suicide herself on multiple occasions. It wasn’t until she became an adult and began learning about the psychology behind mental illnesses and suicide that she started to make sense of what had happened. “I finally broke down to my dad at some point when I was an adult, and I was like, ‘Just tell me about her. You always just say you don’t know why she did it.’
Inside this issue: ► Suicide among senior citizens on the rise, see page 24. ► Trauma, isolation, a choice: Veterans wage mental battle, see page 26. ► Those affected by Chelsea suicides seek to help in aftermath, see page 27.
See MENTAL HEALTH | page A24
A year of storms after rainbow controversy Newly installed board takes over; director resigns
facebook.com/280living
By TAYLOR BRIGHT The storm came with a display of children’s books. Books like “Juliane is a Mermaid,” “Mr. Watson’s Chickens” and “Grandad’s Camper.” The books stood upright on a threeshelf display, along with an 8.5-by-11inch laminated sign that said “Take Pride in Reading.” All of the books selected had either an LGBTQ+ theme or messages of acceptance. For the last 13 years, the staff at the North Shelby Library had displayed
books in the adult, young adult and children’s sections coinciding with Pride Month, an annual June recognition of the LGBTQ+ community, without objection. But, in 2023, the objections came in force to the community library — a backlash that would see the library board removed, six employees leave (including the library director) and a new board of trustees installed by members of the state Legislature.
See LIBRARY | page A30
New members of the Shelby County Library board are sworn in by Judge Matt Fridy in July. Pictured from left are: Andy Martin, Paul Garris, Kasandra Stevens and Sam Gaston. Photo by Taylor Bright.