Editor’s note: This story discusses suicide and may be difficult to read. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the 24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to break the silence surrounding suicide and mental health struggles.
For this episode of This Month Matters, digital host Tatyana White sat down with Dr. Cubeon Washington to discuss the mission behind Dee’s Freedom Walk, an event she founded in memory of her mother, Dee Pitts, who died by suicide on August 29, 2010.
Dr. Washington said her mother was a joyful, bubbly presence to those around her, which made her death difficult for many to understand.
“My mom was the laughing, jovial, bubbly person, the one that everybody else came to speak to,” Dr. Washington said. “Her death took people by surprise so much.”
Dr. Washington said her mother had been suicidal for years and had recently left an abusive marriage. Dr. Washington said she encouraged her mother to see a therapist, but her mother resisted out of fear of being perceived negatively.
“She was afraid of being seen as crazy,” Dr. Washington said. “I would tell my mom, praying is great, but there’s nothing wrong with going to get help.”
Dr. Washington said she has since learned that people experiencing suicidal thoughts are not seeking to hurt their families.
“Suicidal people are not selfish. They just want the pain to stop,” Dr. Washington said. “In their mind, the only way to end that pain is by taking their life.”
Dr. Washington said she decided to channel her grief into something that could help others.
“I don’t waste tears, and I don’t waste pain,” Dr. Washington said.
That decision led to the creation of Dee’s Freedom Walk, now in its fourth year. The event is hosted by The Freedom Group in collaboration with Cubeon International Ministries. Dr. Washington said her mother would not have gone directly to see a therapist, but she would have attended something more casual, like a family gathering.
“While she absolutely was not going to go directly and see a therapist, she would have gone to something like a family barbecue,” Dr. Washington said. “So that’s why I put together Dee’s Freedom Walk.”
The event is designed to feel relaxed and welcoming rather than clinical, giving people the chance to fellowship with others in the community while still connecting with mental health support. Dr. Washington said the goal is to make people comfortable engaging with the topic of mental health without added pressure.
The walk will include what Dr. Washington calls “Freedom Stations,” where organizations such as Wellstone and the Red Cross, along with local therapists, will be available to speak with attendees. Dr. Washington said the stations are judgment-free and allow people to engage as much or as little as they choose.
“It takes the pressure and the stigma off of getting help,” Dr. Washington said. “If you don’t want to talk to anybody, you don’t have to. If you want to, you can.”
Dr. Washington said freedom, in the context of the walk’s mission, means giving people permission to struggle without shame and to seek support without fear of judgment.
“Freedom to go get help. Freedom to not be okay,” Dr. Washington said. “It’s okay to just not be okay. It is okay to have a bad day. I want people to be free to feel like they don’t have to have it together all the time and free to go get whatever help they need.”
Dr. Washington said healing requires more than time.
“It’s okay to not be okay,” Dr. Washington said. “But it’s not okay for you to just continue to sit in that, just hoping it’s going to get better. Time does not heal wounds. Going through an actual healing process does… walk through the process with a trustworthy, trained professional.”
The fourth annual Dee’s Freedom Walk will be held Saturday, September 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Robert Shurney Legacy Center Park, located at 3011 Sparkman Drive NW in Huntsville. The free, family-friendly event will include a DJ, performances from the Mae Jemison High School marching band and dance team, food, games, and door prizes. Registration is preferred but not required and is available on the Dee’s Freedom Walk website.
Dr. Washington also hosts a free quarterly women’s brunch designed to give women space to be encouraged and supported. The next brunch will be held on Saturday, September 26, and registration is available on her website.
To stay connected with Dr. Washington and the work she’s doing in the community, visit her Instagram and Facebook pages.
To hear more about the fourth annual Dee’s Freedom Walk, Dr. Washington turning her mother’s story into a mission of hope, and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, the full interview can be viewed at the top of this page.
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