IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 640 
Addressing the national crisis of suicide among minority adolescents. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 1, 2023 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Mr. TRONE, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Addressing the national crisis of suicide among minority 
adolescents. 
Whereas suicide is a mental health issue that affects individ-
uals and families around the Nation regardless of per-
sonal attributes such as race, religion, gender identity, 
sexual orientation, nation of birth, economic background, 
disability, or age; 
Whereas the World Health Organization defines ‘‘adolescent’’ 
as children between the ages of 10 to 19; 
Whereas, over the last two decades, self-reported suicide at-
tempts rose nearly 80 percent among Black adolescents, 
by far the most significant increase of all races and 
ethnicities; 
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Whereas Black children under 13 are dying by suicide at 
nearly twice the rate of White children the same age; 
Whereas the COVID–19 public health emergency has dis-
proportionately affected the mental health of youth who 
are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) due 
to— 
(1) Black and Latino adolescents seeing more 
COVID–19-related infections and deaths in their commu-
nities than for their White counterparts; and 
(2) Black and Latino families suffering from dis-
proportionate economic setbacks that lead to financial 
stress and instability; 
Whereas the suicide rate for adolescent Native and Indige-
nous females is five times higher than their White coun-
terparts; 
Whereas the American Indian and Alaska Native youth sui-
cide rate is 2.5 times that of the overall national average; 
Whereas suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian 
American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth aged 12 to 
19 years old; 
Whereas youth of color are up to twice as likely to be exposed 
to violent crime in their neighborhood of residence than 
their White counterparts; 
Whereas exposure to violent crime, and those involving fire-
arms in particular, engenders traumas beyond ‘‘normal’’ 
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including inter-
personal distrust, feeling of shame, and dependency that 
perpetuate systemic racial disparities in the United 
States; 
Whereas 19.7 percent of AAPI students in grades 9 to 12 se-
riously considered attempting suicide in the past year; 
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Whereas youth of color were witness to the renewed national 
attention and protests against racialized police violence 
when an unarmed Black man named George Floyd was 
murdered during the summer of 2020; 
Whereas racism against the AAPI community has been exac-
erbated due to xenophobic, harmful rhetoric to describe 
the origins of the coronavirus pandemic; 
Whereas repeated experiences of racialized violence and prej-
udice may lead to racial trauma which can manifest as 
depression and anxiety; 
Whereas racial inequities in mental health are a result of his-
torical oppression and discriminatory practices that have 
deliberately and unjustly targeted marginalized commu-
nities; 
Whereas structural racism has resulted in limited access to 
health care for BIPOC adolescents; 
Whereas the lack of cultural understanding and competency 
by health care providers can cause individuals to delay or 
forgo care and may contribute to underdiagnosis of men-
tal illness in people from racially and ethnically diverse 
populations; 
Whereas BIPOC adolescents are significantly less likely than 
White youth to receive treatment for their depression 
overall because of negative perceptions of mental health 
services and providers within their communities; and 
Whereas the lack of school resource funding results in a lack 
of school-based mental health services, especially in 
schools whose populations are predominately made up of 
students of color: Now, therefore, be it 
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Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) adolescents experiencing mental health con-
cerns, including stress, depression, anxiety, and, 
among some groups, increased risk for suicide, 
should have readily available resources to effectively 
understand and ensure their needs are addressed; 
(2) no adolescent or student, regardless of their 
race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nation of 
birth, or economic background, should face mental 
health issues alone; 
(3) socioeconomic disparities, stigma, and 
unequitable access to health care resources are all 
barriers that prevent youth from receiving the help 
they need; 
(4) public officials should utilize their respective 
platforms to increase awareness and culturally com-
petent resources in support of social, emotional, and 
mental health needs of adolescents, especially in sup-
port of students of color and groups more suscep-
tible to risk; 
(5) ensuring that students of color have school- 
based mental health services is an essential part in 
mitigating increased suicide rates; 
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(6) through culturally relevant treatment, sui-
cide prevention efforts must address the lived experi-
ences of youth of color; and 
(7) Congress should commit to adequately fund 
existing programs and organizations that are work-
ing to close the racial and socioeconomic disparities 
in mental health. 
Æ 
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