Vanessa Green

Introduction and Shared New York Roots

Taryell Simmons: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another episode of Rise Urban Nation podcast, where we bring you inspiring stories and insights from trailblazers in the Black and Pan-African community. I am your host Taryell Simmons, and today we have a very special guest with us: Vanessa Green. Vanessa is the co-founder and CEO of Call BlackLine, an organization dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling and promoting social justice through an unapologetic Black LGBTQ and Black femme lens. Vanessa, welcome to the show. How are you?

Vanessa Green: I am so excited to be here. I have been wanting to come on for a minute, so I am thrilled to finally join you.

Taryell Simmons: I am excited too. Before we jump in, I know you are from New York and I am from upstate Rochester. Which part of New York are you from?

Vanessa Green: I was born and raised in Rockland County, and later moved my kids to Orange County, New York. I also lived in Spanish Harlem for a while with my auntie. I am a New Yorker at heart, even though I live on the West Coast now.

Taryell Simmons: We are both on the West Coast now, but we always keep that East Coast spirit. Your last name is Green, and my family name is also Green. My granddad was Samuel Green, with lineage in Rochester, New York, and South Carolina. Are we related?

Vanessa Green: My father's side is in South Carolina near Charleston, in Moncks Corner. At some point down the line, we definitely crossed paths in Geechee territory.

Taryell Simmons: I have family in Charleston as well. We will have to trace our family tree. Vanessa, can you share your background and what led you to co-create Call BlackLine?

The Genesis of Call BlackLine

Vanessa Green: I started my career as a social worker with a contract agency under the Administration for Children's Services in New York City. After city budget cuts closed that organization, I served as the Director of Rape Crisis Services in Orange County. Later, I spent over eighteen years with VCS Inc. Community Change Project focusing on social justice activism.

Taryell Simmons: How did the idea for Call BlackLine emerge?

Vanessa Green: When Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, my mentor Phyllis B. Frank helped us organize. Activists from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut organized a Freedom Ride to Ferguson. On the bus ride home, after learning of more fatal shootings of Black individuals, someone said that Black people need their own crisis hotline. That idea stuck with me. Back in Newburgh, New York, our local Black Lives Matter chapter discussed responding directly to mental health emergencies without involving law enforcement. We initially attempted in-person crisis response, but quickly realized we lacked the personnel and safety capacity required. As a result, we decided to pivot and establish a national helpline.

Taryell Simmons: Who were the core contributors who helped co-create this initiative with you?

Core Team and Community Co-Creation

Vanessa Green: I prefer the title co-creator because this organization was built collaboratively with Black femmes and community activists. Key founding members include Jay Kelly, a Haitian healer in upstate New York, and Tanya Connor, founder of 100 Sisters who now supports survivor sex workers in Las Vegas. Other essential contributors include Jasmine, Rayliner, Gabe Berlin, and Cynthia Gilkison. We engaged the Newburgh community directly to design a curriculum that was queer-affirming, accessible, and completely community-led.

Taryell Simmons: What were some of the major hurdles you faced while building this platform?

Operational Hurdles and Harassment

Vanessa Green: We launched with minimal financial backing. Because online searches frequently link us to Black Lives Matter, we receive thousands of calls, including racist harassment and hate speech that tie up crisis lines. That abuse takes a heavy toll on our volunteers. Over time, particularly during the pandemic, we lost staff and volunteers to illness and personal tragedy, forcing us to scale back from twenty-four-hour coverage. Crisis response and data collection require substantial labor, and I firmly believe Black and Indigenous workers should be fairly compensated rather than relying solely on unpaid volunteer labor.

Taryell Simmons: The emotional strain is immense, and compensation is essential for sustainability.

Funding Disparities and the 988 Dilemma

Vanessa Green: A major funding obstacle is our commitment never to route calls to 911 or dispatch police. When the federal 988 system was created, significant government funding was distributed to crisis lines that agreed to emergency dispatch protocols. However, for Black and marginalized communities, police dispatch during a mental health crisis often leads to violence or death. We refused to compromise our values or put our community at risk to secure government funds. Additionally, mainstream institutions frequently seek our expertise on Black mental health without providing compensation or developing their own structural understanding of systemic oppression.

Taryell Simmons: Can you share an example of a situation where Call BlackLine made a life-changing difference?

Safe Spaces and Real Crisis Support

Vanessa Green: Our helpline is completely confidential. One woman who was nine months pregnant called after her partner abandoned her. She had previously experienced trauma in psychiatric institutions and refused to seek hospital care. We spoke for two hours to help her de-escalate and find stability. A month later, she called back to express gratitude while her newborn rested safely in the background. We also regularly support Black men who are experiencing intense rage and distress. Society offers few safe spaces where Black men can be vulnerable without being judged or criminalized. We provide a nonjudgmental space to unpack their pain and consider the consequences, helping keep them safe and out of the legal system. Additionally, we provide walking accompaniment for Black trans women by staying on the phone until they reach home safely.

Taryell Simmons: Safe spaces that prevent incarceration and violence are essential. How can our community build deeper trust and mutual healing?

Systemic Fatigue, Capitalism, and Community Organizing

Vanessa Green: Systemic exhaustion under capitalism keeps people overworked and isolated. When individuals work multiple jobs just to afford basic necessities, communal gathering spaces diminish. That is why I encourage callers to organize with peers in their workplaces and local neighborhoods. Collective solidarity is our clearest path to liberation, and we cannot afford to be out-organized.

Taryell Simmons: Hustle culture often leads people to blame themselves for systemic failures.

Redefining Failure and Affirming the Youth

Vanessa Green: I recently supported a student working three jobs who felt like a failure because she struggled academically. I reminded her that higher education is often ill-equipped to support mental wellness, and navigating multiple jobs while attending school is an extraordinary burden. Progress is non-linear, and taking longer to achieve a goal is not failure. We must also speak words of love and affirmation to our youth. Many young students call us after facing racial hostility in schools, and offering words of pride and encouragement provides vital validation.

Taryell Simmons: What factors have contributed to Call BlackLine's growth and reach?

Organic Growth and Technological Support

Vanessa Green: We have never spent money on marketing. Our reach grew entirely through word of mouth, community trust, and referrals. We have also benefited from meaningful allyship and creative reparations. A pro bono trademark attorney secured our trademark, an ally manages and funds our website hosting, and student engineers from the Triton Engineering program at UC San Diego developed our mobile app so community members can log experiences and access resources.

Taryell Simmons: What advice would you offer to community builders, entrepreneurs, and activists?

Everyday Activism, Resources, and Closing Remarks

Vanessa Green: Activism is not restricted to street demonstrations. Being a supportive neighbor, driving someone to the polls, or cooking a meal for a family in need is activism and philanthropy. Our helpline is a resource for all marginalized people navigating systemic hardship, and collective care is how we survive and thrive together.

Taryell Simmons: Where can listeners connect with your work and support the organization?

Vanessa Green: Visit our website at https://www.callblackline.com to donate, volunteer, or request organizational training on racial equity and trauma-informed crisis care.

Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Vanessa, for your leadership and dedication. To our listeners, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode to support Call BlackLine.