T-Kea Blackman
Described as an inspiration, her heartfelt and powerful story is a testament that anyone can thrive despite having a mental illness. T-Kea Blackman lives with bipolar disorder and is a suicide attempt survivor. She is the founder of Mental Health Empowerment Agency, and its mission is to dismantle the mental health stigma and raise awareness of suicide prevention through curated events, individual and group peer support, digital and social media, and educational trainings. She is a mental health trainer, speaker, author, and certified peer recovery specialist who lives by the Toni Payne quote "I'd rather be living my truth happily than living a lie miserably."
T-Kea was featured on NBC, 96.3 WHUR, Good Morning Washington, and on a billboard in Times Square NYC for the "I Am" Campaign with the Quell Foundation for suicide awareness and prevention. She wrote her first book, Saved & Depressed: A Suicide Survivor’s Journey of Mental Health, Healing, & Faith.