Taraji P. Henson is bringing a new mental health initiative to Hampton University in an effort to improve mental health for Black women. Henson's organization, the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, is also teaming up with Kate Spade New York for the endeavor.

Hampton University, as well as Alabama State University, are among the initial wave of HBCUs to receive the mental health resources. These resources will come in the form of “She Care Wellness Pods,” which will provide a number of services.

Some of these services include free mental health (virtual and in-person) therapy sessions, hangout spaces that provide psychoeducation sessions, rest pods, workshops and seminars, and self-regulatory practices like yoga, meditation, and art, according to the BLHF website. The first wave of pods shipped at the start of Spring 2023 and will finish in Spring 2024.

“When we first had the idea to create the Boris L. Henson Foundation Self-Care Wellness Pods, I knew we had to start with women, and specifically women on HBCU campuses,” Henson said. “I can remember through my own experiences with stress and anxiety, not having the adequate support to deal with my issues or the education to name what I was experiencing.”

Henson founded the Boris L. Henson Foundation in 2018. She named the organization after her father, who dealt with mental health struggles after returning home from the Vietnam War. The Academy Award-winning actress and her friend, Tracie Jade Jenkins, created the foundation. The BLHF's goal is to “destigmatize mental health within the Black community and enhance its accessibility.”