Stepping Away From the Computer and Toward Open Conversations
October 29, 2026
More often than not, the Deconstructing Stigma team reaches our audience online. Whether it’s a virtual training, an educational article, or our lived experience storytelling project, most people meet us via a screen.
On Sunday, October 25, 2026, we traded our laptops for downtown Boston, bringing together a group to join hundreds of community members at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness Boston Walk.
AFSP’s annual walks organized around the country, such as this 5K in Boston, aim to highlight mental health and suicide, topics many people avoid.
Showing Up, Speaking Out
The AFSP walk draws people for many reasons: to honor someone they lost, to acknowledge their own experience, or simply to stand with others who need support. As walkers gather, historic Boston Common fills with handmade signs, team shirts, and strands of honor beads, each color representing a personal connection to suicide prevention.
During the opening ceremony, speakers talk candidly about loss before turning to what helps, such as reaching out, checking in, and making it easier to ask for support.
Throughout the walk, some participants carry photographs of loved ones; others walk in small groups of coworkers, classmates, and friends, sharing stories as they complete the laps around the Common. Nothing about it is hushed. Loss, grief, and suicide are spoken about out loud.
“It’s easy to forget how many of the people we connect with online live right here in the Boston area,” says Emma Longsjo, a content specialist for Education Outreach at McLean Hospital.
“With our community beside us as we walked, the impact of personal interactions and honest conversations was palpable. It really reinforced for me why we do the mental health education work we do.”
Team DS at the 2026 Boston AFSP Walk
Courage of a Voice
Stigma often shows up as silence: the conversation someone avoids, the question they never ask, the help they put off.
The Deconstructing Stigma lived experience initiative aims to replace fear and misinformation with understanding and empathy, encouraging people to speak up and ask for help when they are struggling.
“Every story in our anti-stigma project begins with one person bravely deciding to speak up. With more than 300 volunteers who have shared their first-person accounts of mental health challenges, we see the impact of letting others hear your voice,” says Melissa Daroff, associate director of Education Outreach at McLean Hospital.
“At the AFSP walk, the people who gathered, who openly swapped personal stories of grief and loss and wore the names of loved ones on their shirts without hesitation, put their courage on display too. They demonstrated that we don’t have to be afraid to talk about mental health and suicide.”
The people we reach online are also the neighbors, coworkers, and families who gathered on Boston Common, choosing to say out loud what many will not. Standing beside them, and talking with them, is part of our work.
Start a Conversation
The topic of suicide is one that many feel is taboo. Even more people feel the pressure of stigma and a lack of compassion and understanding when they are struggling with anxiety, depression, and more. Staying quiet doesn’t help, though. We need to speak up and encourage others to do the same.
Beyond spreading knowledge about mental health, we want people around the globe to know they are not alone and they don’t need to be afraid to discuss mental health and suicide.
For anyone wondering what they can do if someone they know is struggling, Daroff offers a simple starting point.
“Showing up is something anyone can do. You don’t need the perfect words to support a friend or loved one. Sometimes being there for someone is the start of a conversation.”
We are grateful to everyone who joined us at the AFSP walk this year and to the many volunteers who share their stories year-round. Thank you for showing up for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. We’ll see you at the next walk, or back on your computer screen!
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
