Portland, OR (April 2, 2025) – On May 23rd, 2025, FaithBridge Portland will host Black Girl Live!, a bold, community-rooted event focused on suicide prevention, storytelling, and healing for Black girls and teens.

The event, happening at the University of Oregon Portland Campus Center, is going to be the culminating moment of Community Heals Us, a powerful, three-part initiative designed to nurture emotional wellness, resilience, and belonging through community and intergenerational care.

Community Heals Us is a project of FaithBridge Portland that centers the lived experiences of Black women and girls while addressing the urgent need for mental health support in the face of trauma and violence.

The project includes:

1. Healing Clubhouse, a weekly after-school healing group for girls at the FaithBridge Portland facility
2. Intergenerational MOTHERS (Moms Overcoming Trauma Healing Everyday and Ready to Serve), a support circle for mothers who have lost children or family members to suicide or community violence
3. Black Girl LIVE!, a live event and media campaign that uplifts youth voices, connects families to resources, and invites community into collective healing.

“Community Heals Us works beyond simple programming. It’s a declaration that our stories, our grief, and our healing matter,” said Lisa Saunders, founder and executive director of FaithBridge Portland. “Black Girl LIVE! is the moment we bring it all together. We’re standing in the gap for our girls and inviting the entire community to do the same.

FaithBridge Portland is a nonprofit organization dedicated to equity, healing, and transformation through programming, partnerships, and events. FaithBridge works to uplift historically excluded voices and build bridges between diverse communities. Its mission is to foster collective healing and well-being through action, advocacy, and care. 

Black Girl LIVE! reflects FaithBridge’s commitment to collective care and renewal. Through workshops, testimonials, and resource-sharing, the event encourages open conversations that are often considered taboo, especially in communities of color.

The event shall feature youth-led storytelling, interactive workshops, and healing-centered sessions that capture the strength and creativity of Black girls and women. It offers not only space to be seen and heard, but also access to culturally relevant resources and strategies for emotional survival and growth.

As the final chapter of the Community Heals Us campaign, Black Girl LIVE! serves as both a celebration and a call to action. FaithBridge Portland invites mental health professionals, community leaders, artists, educators, and faith leaders to participate, whether by facilitating sessions, offering resources, or speaking to the urgency of this work.

“We cannot ignore the silent crisis affecting Black girls and teens,” says Ms. Saunders. “By raising awareness and offering practical tools for healing, we’re disrupting generational patterns and building pathways to hope.”

To get involved, register for the event, or learn more about the full Community Heals Us initiative, explore the details right here on our website. Follow the movement at #CommunityHealsUs and #BlackGirlLIVE to stay connected and help amplify the healing.

Let this be more than an event. Let it be the beginning of a community where every Black girl is seen, supported, and never alone.