Student Suicide Awareness Exhibit At Sac State

A nationally recognized exhibit of 1,100 backpacks will be displayed Monday on the Sacramento State campus. 

The 1,100 backpacks represents the number of college students who die by suicide every year in the United States. 

The backpacks for the outdoor exhibit "Send Silence Packing," were donated by families of students who died by suicide.  

Along with the backpacks are personal stories and testimonies written by families and friends. 

The nonprofit student advocacy organization Active Minds is displaying the bags to promote conversation about mental health and college student suicide. 

Active Minds was established in 2003 by Alison Malmon, then a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, after losing her only brother, Brian Malmon, 22, to suicide.

"Active Minds dedicates all of our time to raise awareness about mental health and combat the stigma surrounding it," says Malmon, the executive director of Active Minds, Inc. "Send Silence Packing is one of our most visual and powerful programs that shows how serious of an issue this is and how our work will never be over."

The exhibit will travel to other campuses across California, including Fresno City College October 8. 

The stop at Sacramento State coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week. 

The exhibit is on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Library Quad at Sacramento State.