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Published on December 04, 2019
Sandra Rose-Zak and Dr. Michelle Bacholle
After seven years of research on suicide loss and grief in contemporary French literature that led to the publication of her 2018 book, Dr. Michèle Bacholle reached out to the Office of Wellness Education and Promotion to organize an event that brings together and supports suicide-loss survivors.
The event, Ribbons of Remembrance, was held in the J. Eugene Library on Thursday, November 21, 2019 to mark International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.
At this community event, the names of loved ones lost to suicide were read aloud and candles were lit in their memory. The names of those lost to suicide were also written on colorful ribbons and tied to a remembrance tree, which is an idea that was borrowed from an American Association of Suicidology convention that Dr. Bacholle attended this year. Ribbons of Remembrance also featured poems written and read by Janet Bannister (’19) and Gerda Walz-Michaels, as well as performances by student groups Modern Movement and Key of She.
With this event, Dr. Bacholle hopes to break the stigma still attached to mental illness, suicide, and suicide loss. The tree with ribbons is on display in the J. Eugene Library until mid-December.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Eastern's Modern Movement
Gerda Walz-Michaels reading her poem, "The Ocean Carries Me"
Remembrance Tree
Eastern's Key of She
Written by World Languages and Cultures Department