My name is Jade E. Duncan, MPH and I’m the founder of Unjaded Healing—a trauma-informed movement born from lived experience. I was raised in South Oak Cliff, a proud yet underserved community in Dallas, TX, where resilience was a necessity and healing was never part of the conversation. After years of witnessing—and personally carrying—the weight of unaddressed trauma, I created Unjaded Healing to offer what I never had: safe, culturally-rooted spaces for people to process, grow, and begin again. This isn’t just a mission—it’s my life’s work.

Who is impacted?

Millions of people across the U.S. are carrying invisible wounds. Trauma—whether from abuse, neglect, systemic oppression, community violence, generational cycles, or chronic stress—affects children, adults, and elders in every corner of our nation. It shows up in our schools, our hospitals, our relationships, and even our bodies. Communities of color, LGBTQIA+ youth, veterans, survivors of violence, and those living in poverty experience some of the deepest impacts, often with the least support. Trauma is not just a personal experience—it’s a public health emergency that continues to go unspoken and untreated.

What is at stake?

If trauma remains unrecognized as a public health priority, the cycle of harm will continue—impacting everything from academic performance to workforce stability, from mental health to chronic disease. We will keep treating symptoms instead of addressing the root. But if we act now, we can reimagine our healthcare system, education models, community spaces, and justice systems through a trauma-informed lens. Healing becomes possible—especially in marginalized communities where support has never truly reached. We must shift from reaction to prevention, from punishment to compassion, and from silence to collective care.

Why is now the time to act?

We are at a tipping point. Mental health conversations are finally entering the mainstream, yet trauma—one of the most significant drivers of mental and physical illness—is still sidelined. Unjaded Healing and its trauma-responsive programs like the Emerald Angel Safe Zone Initiative, Private Self-help Workshops + Products, and SET Curriculum are already being activated at the local level. But the time has come to expand nationally. The communities that have been overlooked the longest are ready to lead the healing. By officially recognizing trauma as a national public health aim, we take the first step toward rewriting our future—one rooted in safety, equity, and true restoration.

Sign this petition and help us get trauma recognized for what it truly is: a public health crisis that deserves collective action, funding, and national prioritization.

Let’s #BeUnjaded together.