June 16, 2020: Black Mental Health Matters

Black Americans have spent centuries working to convince others of their humanity and right to live. And yet, these last few weeks have taken a particularly devastating toll on the Black community. Deaths from COVID-19, a disease that has disproportionately killed people of color because of chronic inequalities in our healthcare and economic systems, surpassed 100,000. Breonna Taylor and George Floyd became the latest names added to an extensive list of Black individuals who died in the hands of police. And many of the protests following these murders were met with a militarized police presence and further police brutality.\r\n\r\nThe limited access to coping resources during this period of excessive stress is endangering Black lives even further. Black people are over seven times more likely to live in areas with limited access to mental health care. There is a dire shortage of Black mental health providers, and Black Americans are 20 percent more likely to report serious psychological distress.\r\n\r\nBlack mental health matters. In a community where discussion of mental health is already largely taboo and stigmatized, it is dire that we address mental health needs and provide resources and practices for surviving through this triggering time.