MILWAUKEE — As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, two Milwaukee women invited the public for a walk and a healing gathering Saturday.

Marrika King-Ortiz of MKO Collaborative is a mental health therapist. It’s an issue she has always been passionate about.

“I’ve been in the field for over 12 years and mental health is personally and professionally important to me because I have had loved ones who have dealt with mental health and just the care of my clients and seeing the deficit within my community,” said King-Ortiz.

One way they raised awareness about mental health was a walk around the community.

“When it comes to mental health, making sure that we are exercising and working out. That’s a part of our wellness. That’s a part of our outlet,” said King-Ortiz.

Kenyata Davis is a suicide survivor. She founded Minding Your Mental to advocate for mental health. Davis also partnered with King-Ortiz for this event.

“I know what it is like to be in that dark space to feel like you have no one to feel like it’s the end,” Davis said. “Thank God, I’m still here today but that didn’t come out without a lot of struggles, a lot of darkness dealing with depression, even anxiety.”

After the walk, there was a healing gathering.

This allowed everyone a chance to talk about issues they struggle with, including anxiety, depression and trauma.

For Davis, the gathering was about emphasizing the importance of putting yourself out there while also finding the right support system.

“A lot of times people feel like they are alone, but we are not,” Davis said. “When you think of the world. You know there are millions of people in the world that suffer certain things, so the statistics show that we are not alone, so you have to put yourself out there and this is what it looks like it has no face. It doesn’t matter who you are.”

King-Ortiz believes to remove the stigma attached to mental health, there has to be an open space for people to express themselves.

“It’s so important to our communities to not just shun individuals away because of mental health but to pull them in and support them and encourage them in any way possible, be a part of the cause and not a part of the issue,” said King-Ortiz.

Both King-Ortiz and Davis hope for everyone struggling with something to not give up on themselves.