Minnesota’s Rev. Angela Khabeb Joins National Conversation Hosted by NPR’s Michel Martin
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) Board Member Catherine “Cat” McKenzie is producing NPR’s Morning Edition Presents… Michel Martin Going There, a special live event taking place Thursday, September 24, at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Michel Martin Going There is a live series focused on tackling crucial social and cultural issues. This Thursday in collaboration with Howard University, the 90-minute program will bring together health care professionals, faith leaders, advocates, and others for a conversation about suicide and mental health in the Black community, with particular attention to the increase in suicide deaths among Black youth.
The program will also have a strong Minnesota connection. Minneapolis-based Rev. Angela T. Khabeb, an ELCA pastor, writer, speaker and nationally recognized preacher, will participate in the event. Khabeb has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America and has been a prominent voice on issues of faith, community, racial justice, and healing.
For SAVE, a Minnesota-based national suicide prevention non-profit, the event is especially meaningful because of McKenzie’s leadership both nationally and as a member of SAVE’s Board of Directors.
A St. Paul native and St. Olaf College alumna, McKenzie is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer and media executive and the founder of CatMac Global Media. Her career has included leadership roles at ABC News, including serving as Executive Producer of GMA3: What
You Need to Know and helping lead original programming for ABC News Live. Through CatMac Global Media, she develops and produces projects spanning news, culture, live events, and documentary storytelling.
“Cat has spent her career using storytelling to address issues that matter, and this event is another important example of that work,” said Erich Mische, President and CEO of SAVE. “Suicide does not affect every community in the same way. Effective prevention requires listening to the people and communities most directly affected and making sure those voices are part of the conversation.”
SAVE is grateful to support the event and help advance a conversation that closely aligns with the organization’s suicide prevention mission. Mische will attend the September 24 program in Washington.
“We are also proud that two people with strong Minnesota connections, Cat and Rev. Angela Khabeb, will be part of this national conversation,” Mische said.
According to NPR, the program will examine suicide among Black youth, as well as disparities in accessing mental health care and support. The conversation will include personal experiences, available resources, and discussion about what communities can do moving forward.
The program will also feature author and former BET Networks Chair and CEO Debra Lee and U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.
NPR’s Morning Edition Presents… Michel Martin Going There tapes at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 24, at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. and will be available on NPR’s YouTube channel as well as on NPR member organizations.
Tickets and additional information about the event are available through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nprs-morning-edition-presents-michel-martin-going-there-tickets-2000602582178
About SAVE
SAVE, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, is one of the nation’s oldest suicide prevention organizations. Headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, SAVE works in communities across Minnesota and the country through suicide prevention education and training, advocacy, support for suicide loss survivors and lethal means safety.