Video: MUW Marks Suicide Prevention Month with Poignant Display

[syndicaster id=’5726628′]

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) -It’s Suicide Prevention Month and MUW is using a symbolic gesture to raise awareness. The visual memorial event is called “The Empty Chairs: Telling Their Story” and it features 1100 seats to represent the number of college students in America who commit suicide each year. Some of the chairs display actual suicide notes from students who took their own lives. The one day event is to honor those who have died from suicide and to let their words shed light on the subject.

“We are asking all of our students, faculty and staff to walk through, and some of the community if they want to come through, just to kind of see this and just to realize this is like, um, something that’s happening, but it’s okay to talk about it. And it’s something that we need to talk about, especially nowadays with cyber bullying and everything that kids are going through. This is just a great reminder of that.”

Faculty and staff are encouraging everyone to wear yellow ribbons to honor those affected by suicide.