A blue-painted semicolon decorated the right hand of Kendall Wright, a Lincoln University student, on Friday.
He displayed the marking with friends as they took cellphone photos inside Founders Hall during an event to honor today's National Suicide Survivors Day. LU's Active Minds organization, which promotes mental health, held an event joining students together to reflect on the effects of suicide.
Students painted each other's hands and faces with semicolons, a grammatical symbol that has gained national meaning for much more thanks to Project Semicolon that started in 2013. The campaign has connected those affected by suicide through social media platforms.
"For me, it signifies that it's not over yet, and that even though there's a pause, life will go on," Wright, a suicide survivor, said. "Trouble that's present doesn't always last forever."
In the United States, more than 41,000 people die annually by suicide - twice the number of homicidal deaths, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It's also the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 15-34. For every estimated suicide, there are 25 suicide attempts, according to the Centers for Disease Control, totaling to an estimated 250,000 people who become suicide survivors annually.
"Of those people who end their lives by suicide, there are uncounted people whose lives are changed forever," said Trevon Spear, president of Active Minds. "They, too, are survivors of suicide."
Brittany Badding, a 22-year-old LU student, said her own story brought her to the event. Last December, she made a suicide attempt, and is still alive thanks to a friend. She has been attending counseling through the university and encourages people who are struggling to seek help.
"Don't be afraid to search for help, whether it be a friend or any of the services that are out there. Just go for help when you need it," Badding said. "One of my issues with my depression was that I would get a little paranoid that it was all in my head, or that I was doing it for attention, or I don't need to bother anybody with it, but if someone is in that position and something in their mind is telling them not to (seek help) - ignore that and go get help."
Wright said the Friday event allowed those affected by suicide - whether they are survivors themselves, know someone who died by suicide or wanted to support the cause - to connect and communicate about mental health.
"Suicide sometimes can be a taboo," Wright said. "I know there are some people who think suicide is being selfish, and today was very important because it helped others know that you are not alone. There is more to life, and the situation is only temporary."
Those in need of help can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.