For more than a decade, Active Minds’ acclaimed Send Silence Packing® exhibit has traveled the country to end the silence that surrounds mental health and suicide and connect visitors with resources for support and action.
The 2025 display will be at Marquette on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Westowne Square. In the event of rain, the event will be held on the AMU second floor landing.
The all-day exhibit features personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to raise awareness about the impact of suicide, connect individuals to mental health resources and inspire action for suicide prevention. Passersby are invited to walk among the Send Silence Packing backpacks to view the photographs and read the stories attached to them. Many of the backpacks were donated by families who lost a loved one to suicide.
Since its inaugural display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2008, Send Silence Packing has reached over a million visitors and counting with messages of hope and help. Evaluation data attests to the display’s impact: most visitors leave wanting to learn more about mental health. The majority tell three or more people about the display and may reach out to a friend in need or seek help for themselves as a result of experiencing it.
Active Minds recently launched a companion exhibit designed to complement the in-person program — Send Silence Packing: Behind the Backpacks. This virtual, immersive experience gives users an in-depth look at the impact of suicide through personal stories, stigma reduction techniques and visual components such as videos, photos and audio. Visitors to Send Silence Packing will have a chance to learn more about Behind the Backpacks and easily share this program with friends, family and their communities. It can be experienced both at the exhibit and at home.
“I founded Active Minds as a freshman in college following the death of my brother, Brian, by suicide in order to end the stigma around mental health. Stigma is shame, shame causes silence, and silence hurts us all,” says Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. “Send Silence Packing is a highly visible way to combat that stigma, increase openness, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Thank you, Marquette University, for bringing the 2025 exhibit to your community to help continue to spread awareness and inspiring action around mental health and suicide prevention efforts.”
Send Silence Packing: Behind the Backpacks was made possible by a generous donation from the RSM US Foundation.
To learn more about Active Minds and this event, visit https://activeminds.org/programs/ssp/.
To learn more about Marquette’s chapter of Active Minds, contact activeminds@marquette.edu or @activemindsmarq.
