The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, founded by actress Taraji P. Henson, and Kate Spade Recent York have teamed to bring wellness pods to HBCU campuses, serving greater than 25,000 Black women nationwide.

The inspiration, which is known as after Henson’s father who struggled along with his mental health with none resources, was founded in 2018 to destigmatize the topic and supply services to Black communities.

Starting with Alabama State University, the 2 organizations will roll out the She Care Wellness Pods, that are physical structures that can offer a slew of mental health resources, including virtual and in-person therapy sessions; psychoeducation sessions, and yoga, art, sound and dance therapy workshops, in addition to a spot for college kids to rest. While the muse is launching the pods for female-identifying people, He Care and They Care Wellness Pods are set to roll out as a part of the muse’s Meeting You Where You Are initiative.

“You’ve got to deal with the ladies first because we drive change. Women are the change normally and so if you would like to save the world, you save the ladies first,” Henson told WWD. “Black women, we suffer from a myriad of disparities and health, pay, social injustices. Nobody really hears us after we’re saying we don’t feel well or we’re not doing well mentally today, so we wish to supply secure spaces for these young women.”

Research from the CDC showed that in 2021 almost 60 percent of female students experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.”

Kate Spade, which is committing greater than $5 million to destigmatizing mental health and providing resources to women this yr, was a strategic partner for the muse.

“Kate Spade has been an advocate for mental wellness for over a decade. It’s the pillar of their company and we connected on a fundamental human level because we each imagine adamantly in mental wellness,” said Henson, who has been a member of Kate Spade Recent York’s Social Impact Council because it formed in January 2022.

“Our social impact mission is to empower women and girls across the globe by putting mental health at the guts of our approach. Women’s and girls’ mental health has long been underfunded, undervalued and under-acknowledged, and we’re so happy with our partnership with Taraji, Tracie [Jade Jenkins, Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation executive director] and The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, a company that shares our commitment to providing mental health resources to communities that need it probably the most,” said Liz Fraser, Kate Spade Recent York chief executive officer and brand president.

Since founding the muse in 2018, Henson has recognized a shift within the conversation around mental health.

“Before we launched in 2018, nobody was talking about it [mental health], actually not within the Black community,” Henson said. “After BLH [Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation] launched, and I went to the ground of Congress and shared my struggles, I began seeing more people come forward, more Black and Brown people.”

Henson’s goal with the pods is to expand the muse’s impact, focusing specifically on younger students.

“We’re at all times attempting to eradicate the stigma and the way you try this is you get people talking about it. If you’ve got these pods on campus, there’s no way you possibly can ignore that. You’re gonna see more people and more students need to take an interest of their mental wellness,” she said.

While Henson is launching the pods to foster conversations around mental health, she hopes it should ignite a deeper interest amongst students.

“Hopefully, we’ll see an increase in African American and Brown students wanting to start out a profession within the mental health field because we don’t have enough therapists, clinicians and practitioners,” she said. “Once you speak about attempting to get culturally competent therapists or finding a Black therapist or psychiatrist who can understand what you’re going through on a each day basis, we don’t have it.”

The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation will proceed to launch She Care Wellness Pods at HBCU campuses this spring.