HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s (UAH) Out of the Darkness campus walk is about bringing people together who’ve been affected by suicide.

Hundreds took part in the university’s 3rd annual walk part of an initiative to raise awareness, encourage discussions, and build a community to support people impacted by suicide.

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UAH’s Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Dr. Paul Whitehead says events as such are important because it brings the community together for a meaningful cause.

“It’s a suicide, a touchy subject and that’s part of the reason that we’re doing this to help normalize the conversation,” Whitehead said. “Anything that has to do with mental health seems to have a stigma against it. This is a struggle that a lot of us are going through and to have a safe space where we can talk about it and feel supported is what’s needed.”

It’s a student and faculty-led effort in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), an organization focused on saving lives and bringing hope to those impacted by suicide through education.

AFSP’s Alabama Area Director Meesha Emmett says the campus walks are a nationwide effort to raise awareness surrounding the subject.

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“The campus and community walks are an opportunity for lost survivors, which are people who have lost someone to suicide or those that have lived those experiences, it’s an opportunity for them to come together with other people who know what they’re going through,” Emmett told News 19. “It’s a cathartic experience.”

According to AFSP, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in Alabama and one that is preventable.

For UAH students like Parker Jolly, the hope walks are important because it allows for people to have difficult conversations about suicide without the shame that may come along with doing so.

“I think it’s really important to come out here and support people who have those feelings. It’s important because all lives matter and as a student here, I want to know that everybody has somebody to come talk to if they’re going through difficult times,” Jolly said. “Spreading that awareness gives everyone that equal opportunity to know that we’re here for them.”

UAH officials say the school has raised over $40,000 for AFSP since the walk began three years ago.

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