My Mother Died By Suicide When I Was 6. My Town Stayed Silent for 30 Years
Summary
Tracie Blackmon says her mother Judy died by suicide in 1982, when Blackmon was six, and that her Alabama town avoided discussing the death for decades. As an adult, Blackmon began speaking publicly about her loss, worked on suicide-prevention advocacy, and published a memoir and a thriller.Key Facts
- Blackmon’s mother, Judy, died by suicide shortly before Blackmon started first grade.
- Blackmon grew up in Columbiana, Alabama, where people did not discuss her mother’s death.
- Blackmon says she first spoke openly about her mother’s suicide to a room of strangers in her 40s.
- She later shared her story with teachers, teenagers, lawmakers, and others as part of suicide-prevention advocacy.
- Blackmon served as the Alabama Public Policy Chair for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
- She took part in advocacy efforts connected to the launch of 988, a crisis line people can call or text.
- Blackmon published a memoir titled Her Name Was Judy about losing her mother.
- Five weeks after the memoir came out, she published a thriller set in a small Southern town.
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