Anthony Thompson founded Follow Suit because he wanted to help Black and Brown boys from the Roxbury neighborhood avoid the types of mistakes he made in his youth. “I love you, and I don’t want you to have that on your resume,” he tells participants.
He and partner Gilbert White developed a curriculum that equips boys to make life-affirming decisions about nutrition, finances, relationships, and more. Every graduate receives a custom-made suit so they can dress for the success they envision.
In 2022, Anthony met Samaritans Chief Clinical Officer Kacy Maitland at a community event hosted by Toy Burton of DeeDee’s Cry. “What you’re doing is suicide prevention,” Anthony recalls Kacy saying. “The lightbulb went off in my head,” he says. “Yes, a kid in my neighborhood, if he drops out of school, that’s a path to suicide. If he chooses to join the gang, that’s a path to suicide. We’re saving lives.”
That first conversation blossomed into a powerful, multi-year partnership. Anthony, Gilbert, and Samaritans’ Steven Karaiskos initially met monthly to discuss the underacknowledged challenge of suicidality among boys of color and to figure out how they could address that challenge through customized outreach.
“You can’t ride in as the savior,” Anthony says. “You’re going to need support … because it’s a whole different language.”
Steven agrees, saying, “I can read the research, but I’m not living this. I needed to hear it all … It was really about asking the questions, sitting down and saying, who are you and what do you need?”
Working together, the three men translated Samaritans’ best practices into a workshop called My Brother’s Keeper that teaches participants how to recognize suicide’s warning signs in peers. “It’s asking, listening, and knowing where to get help,” Anthony says, “1-2-3, a three-point shot.”
Sometimes, the translation is as simple as finding the right, youth-friendly metaphor. Other times, it’s designing activities that allow young people to process ideas actively and contribute their own insights, such as a recent session when boys designed T-shirts with their own suicide prevention slogans.
The curriculum has evolved as the partners have listened to participants and integrated boys’ own language and concerns directly into the workshops. This year, Anthony, Steven, and Kacy presented the collaborative model at the American Association of Suicidology national conference.
“Go into these places, and just listen first,” Anthony urged attendees. “Just come and see.”
Suicide prevention…it takes a village. We tell all the young men: Look beside you, look behind you. It might be your teammate, your cousin, the kid you ride the bus with every day. Be your brother’s keeper.
Suicide Prevention Programs & Workshops
Building expertise to prevent suicide is critical to our mission. We’re here to teach communities how to recognize warning signs of suicide and provide support.
