Centering Black Voices emerged from a community engaged research study that interviewed young Black men (ages 18-24) in Baltimore about the transition into adulthood. When asked to describe their neighborhoods, young Black men answered by sharing their stories of witnessing, experiencing, and losing friends and family members to violence. We listened.

We developed loss and grief support groups and designed research projects that centered young men’s experiences of violent injury and homicide bereavement. This research has informed policy recommendations and community mental health interventions for Black boys and men. Most importantly, this research facilitated healing in the lives of our participants.