DeeDee’s Cry is named after Founder and Executive Director, Toy Burton’s sister, Denita Shayne Morris (DeeDee), who died by suicide at the the age of twenty-three.

In 2017 while trying to help a friend who lost her brother to suicide. Toy searched the internet to see what support was available to suicide loss survivors. What Toy found was that agencies that were focused on suicide prevention weren’t focused on BIPOC communities. As a suicide attempt survivor, Toy knew what it felt like to need support only to feel as though she wasn’t being heard. This led to the founding of DeeDee’s Cry.

The mission of DeeDee’s Cry is to provide resources on suicide prevention and loss and mental health education. DeeDee’s Cry supports families impacted by suicide. DeeDee’s Cry aims to create a space where conversations begin to lift the stigma on suicide and mental health within Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities. DeeDee’s Cry creates and collaborates with organizations and agencies to create events programs, projects, and activities within BIPOC communities that are centered on family, mental health, and suicide prevention.