Lorain County’s Black girls struggle mentally. Experts look for answers.

This story came from Ideastream Public Media’s engaged journalism team, as part of our commitment to telling stories with people and communities across Northeast Ohio.

On a recent Saturday morning, a conference at Lorain County Community College kicked off the county's new chapter of Black Girl Rising, a nonprofit helping Black girls build confidence.

Girls and teenagers from across the county sat together at tables, listening intently as speakers and panelists discuss a topic of growing importance: mental health.

Regan Philips is the co-chair of Communities of Color, a subcommittee of the county’s Suicide Prevention Coalition. She said conferences like this one are important because Lorain’s Black girls and teens are often isolated.

“If they're the only Black girl in their community,