Ashley Judd, Aloe Blacc Help White House Unveil National Suicide Prevention Strategy: 'There's No Such Thing as Too Much Love'

Editor's note: The following story contains discussions of suicide and sexual abuse.

Ashley Judd and Aloe Blacc, who have both been touched by the suicide of a loved one, visited the White House on Tuesday (April 23) to help the White House unveil its new national suicide prevention strategy.

“As we all know, suicide affects everyone, it doesn't matter your age, race, gender or where you live, it affects all of us and sadly suicidal thoughts and actions have really increased in recent years,” he said. Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, who hosted the event.

Emhoff began his comments by acknowledging Judd, whose country star mother Naomi Judd died nearly two years ago by suicide, and Blacc, whose close friend and fellow EDM star Tim Bergling (aka Avicii) took his own life in 2018. Emhoff noted that 132 people die by suicide every day and that “we are here today because we know we can and will change that. Suicide is preventable, and the president and vice president are working hard to take action, to act to mitigate and prevent suicide.”

Among the actions Emhoff said the administration is taking are mobile crisis response teams, more youth suicide prevention activities, and increased suicide prevention efforts in schools.

Judd paid tribute to her beloved mother and described the Judds singer's battle with mental illness, which she said “lied to her and with great horror convinced her that she would never get better” during the discussion moderated by the general surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy who also introduced Shelby Rowe, executive director of the Center for Suicide Prevention Research. Judd spoke fondly of her mother's sense of humor and discovering music as a child, but also noted that Naomi, 76, was a survivor of childhood and adult sexual abuse who became a nurse and then an icon of Grammy-winning country.

“She also lived most of her life with an untreated and undiagnosed mental illness that lied to her and stole from her and stole from our family and she deserved better,” said Judd, who noted that he suffered from childhood depression and suicidal ideation after being abused when he was seven. “But I had a different experience because I went to therapy in 2006 for unresolved childhood bereavement and sexual trauma and I was in good recovery for 18 years and had a different outcome than my mother.”

What Ashley Judd said she carries with her now is a message of hope and recovery.

Blacc said he was on the road because he strongly believes in the “tremendous power of music to amplify these important messages” and because he learned to stand up for friends who self-harmed and lived as well as those who didn't. . “It's important for all of us to recognize the power we have,” he said. “So knowing someone who might be going through a traumatic time and just being a stand-in for them could make a big difference.”

He encouraged everyone in the room and watching to recognize the positive role we can play in other people's lives. “The more we can recognize and see and offer our friends and family members that moment to say 'I need your help,' and you know it makes me think of those moments when you get the phone call and a friend of yours committed you self harm and think “when was the last time I called? When was the last time I texted?'

The singer urged everyone to look for a “moment of joy” when reaching out to friends in crisis, including memories that spark laughter or a song, as well as reminding people that they are “the light”. Blacc said, “there's no such thing as too much love. Let's give as much as we can,” he added, leading the assembled guests into the chorus from “This Little Light of Mine.”

The government's new National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2024 — accompanied by the first federal action plan — identifies 200 different actions to be implemented and evaluated over the next three years. Among these actions are: identifying ways to address substance use and suicide risk together in the clinical setting, funding a portable crisis tracker for use by 988 crisis centers, increasing support for survivors of loss to suicide and others whose lives has been affected by suicide and evaluation of promising community-based suicide prevention strategies.

Watch video from the event below.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.