Michael A. Lindsey

[5] Lindsey grew up in Southeast (Washington, D.C.) and has said what he witnessed there in the 1980s during the crack epidemic inspired him to pursue a career addressing the needs of marginalized people.

[7] “My passion derives from growing up in the Southeast section of Washington, D.C., where I saw the effects of drug use and undiagnosed, untreated addiction and mental health issues.

I want to bridge that gap to make sure kids and families are connected to treatment in meaningful ways.” He received his bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College in 1994.

In 1996 he graduated from Howard University with a master’s degree in social work for direct service practice, concentrating on mental health.

[14] During a congressional staff briefing hosted by U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, New Jersey) in December 2018, Lindsey called for the creation of a task force to address the growing prevalence of suicide in black children and adolescents.

[16] In December 2019, the task force released the report, and simultaneously introduced legislation aimed at addressing racial disparities in youth mental health care.

[18] Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Mental Health wrote in January 2020 that it had begun working with Lindsey and staff at the McSilver Institute to develop strategies related to black youth suicide prevention, using the “Ring the Alarm” report as a “starting point.”[19] The “Ring the Alarm” report, and Lindsey’s role in it, was cited by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks in a July 2020 memo relating to the implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018.

[20] National Institute of Mental Health Director Joshua Gordon also cited the report in a September 2020 message which described the institute’s intention to expand funding for research relating to black youth suicide, including through a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) in Research on Risk and Prevention of Black Youth Suicide released in June of that year.