Mental health professionals and community advocates gathered at the KEMBA Credit Union Community Room in West Chester Township on Friday, July 10, for the fourth annual Black Mental Health Summit, a free daylong event focused on breaking stigma and connecting Black families with care.

Ashley Glass, founder of the Cincinnati-area nonprofit Black Women Cultivating Change, organized the summit and said the timing was intentional. July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a designation Congress established in 2008 in honor of author and advocate Bebe Moore Campbell.

"We know that moms feel like no one is paying attention to their mental health so we want to make sure people are educated on that," Glass told WCPO 9 on July 10. She added that rising suicide rates among young Black men and a lack of support for veterans drove the summit's other focus areas.

The need is well-documented. Only about 31% of Black adults with a mental illness receive treatment in a given year, compared with roughly 48% of white adults, according to federal data cited by the mental health education organization Brave Minds Academy. Suicide attempts among Black adolescents rose 73% between 1991 and 2017, even as rates fell for white youth, according to a study analyzing data through 2017 published in the journal Pediatrics.

The summit featured expert-led discussions on four topics: maternal mental health, suicide prevention, veterans' mental health, and cultural trauma. Five presenters were listed on the event program, including Jasmary Tineo, Leah Steverson, Keith A. Vukasinovich, Launie Miller, and Shawnieka E. Pope.

Organizers provided breakfast and lunch at no cost. Mental health professionals who attended could earn continuing education credits.

Glass, who is also an award-winning documentary director and nurse leader, founded Black Women Cultivating Change to address health equity and stigma in the Black community, according to the organization's social media page. The summit has returned to the same West Chester venue for at least two years; last year's third annual event was held there on July 18, 2025.

No date has been announced for a fifth annual summit. Residents in crisis can reach the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7 by calling or texting 988.