At a young age, Travis Gilliam had a dream of being in radio, and through hard work and a guiding mentor, he’s a popular personality on “The No LImit Larry & The Morning Maddhouse” show on WPEG-FM’s Power98 radio.

But Gillliam, pictured above right, was at the Forum Tuesday to talk about the hard times that he says men are taught not to talk about – the anxieties and stress that ultimatelly lead to the destructive behavior that everybody would rather talk about.

Dr. Trasha Black of Genesis Project 1, along with one of her staff members, presented a program that was built around Gilliam’s personal story of surviving a suicide attempt more than decade ago, when he was unwilling to talk about the demons and they nearly got the better of him.

The message to seek help was driven home by a member of the audience who said that two of her male friends from college had committed suicide in the past year.

The presentation was an effort to highlight a series of events this weekend called “Depression: Breaking the Silence.” The series is a collaboration between Genesis Project I, Johnson C. Smith University and a variety of mental health providers. Events are listed at right.

Video from the Forum presentation is posted below.

A feature on Gilliam published by New Growth Hair Magazine is here.

The website of Genesis Project I is here.

A flier about the “Breaking the Silence” series is here.