Preserving the Mental Health of Black and Brown Professors in Academia

Anti-Black racism in Canada remains a significant barrier to the career advancement and overall well-being of Black professionals. Despite the existence of policies and legislation aimed at reducing workplace discrimination, Black Canadians continue to face systemic racism, microaggressions, and various forms of discrimination that hinder their professional growth and contribute to a hostile work environment. This study explores the specific manifestations of anti-Black racism in Canadian workplaces, examines the physical and mental health impacts on Black professionals, and investigates the responses and coping mechanisms employed by these individuals in the face of racism. A qualitative study was conducted involving semi-structured interviews with 24 Black professionals from diverse sectors, including healthcare, information technology, academia, and public service. Participants were selected based on their professional experience and self-identification as Black. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using LeximancerTM software to identify recurring themes and patterns. The study identified three primary themes: (1) Mechanisms of anti-Black racism, including microaggressions, overt bias, and tokenism; (2) Impacts of anti-Black racism, such as mental health trauma, career stagnation, and exacerbation of chronic health conditions; and (3) Responses of Black professionals, including code-switching, self-preservation behaviors, and early exit from the workplace. The findings reveal that despite high academic achievement and leadership positions, Black professionals face persistent discrimination that affects their career trajectories and personal lives. Anti-Black racism in Canadian workplaces is deeply entrenched and continues to negatively impact the lives and careers of Black professionals. The study highlights the need for more effective diversity and inclusion initiatives that address the root causes of racism. Further research is recommended to explore the economic and psychological impacts of anti-Black racism and to develop strategies to mitigate its effects in the workplace.

The frequent police killings during the COVID-19 pandemic forced a reckoning among Americans from all backgrounds and propelled the Black Lives Matter movement into a global force. This manuscript addresses major issues to aid practitioners in the effective treatment of African Americans via the lens of Critical Race Theory and the Bioecological Model. We place the impacts of racism on Black families in historical context and outline the sources of Black family resilience. We critique structural racism embedded in all aspects of psychology and allied fields. We provide an overview of racial socialization and related issues affecting the parenting decisions in Black families, as well as a detailed overview of impacts of structural racism on couple dynamics. Recommendations are made for engaging racial issues in therapy, providing emotional support and validation to couples and families experiencing discrimination and racial trauma, and using Black cultural strengths as therapeutic resources.

In this article, we chart some of the detrimental emotional impacts of what we consider a human disaster: denying Black people’s humanity. We focus on the highly publicized and violent killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in 2020: 9 minutes and 29 seconds of state-sanctioned, anti-Black violence that was filmed and circulated globally and has sparked the largest racial justice protest and beyond since the civil rights movements of the 1960s. We consider the impacts of viewing this footage, this spectacle, on Black people, seeing this human disaster playing out in front of their eyes through the lens of anti-Black racism (ABR), which serves as an analytic lens to theorize this trauma within the context of visceral and ubiquitous anti-Black racism. We further contextualize these links between racism and trauma by drawing from our firsthand experience, as well as the stories, worries, and feelings shared with us by Black professionals, families, and members of the community. We focus specifically on that shared by Black youth, which has primarily been the focus of our professional work. We conclude by highlighting strategies of resistance to counteract these impacts, as well as shifts to clinical practice that might better address them and structural shifts towards social justice. Keywords: Human-made disasters, mental health, trauma, anti-Black racism, resistance, resilience.

This article centers on the Love Jones Cohort, revealing the ways in which Black women understand and navigate their single status. The term "Love Jones Cohort" originates from the movie Love Jones (1997) and incorporates the common demographic term "cohort", which refers to a band of people. Characters in Love Jones are young, educated, Black professionals, who have never been married, are child-free, and live alone or with unmarried non-romantic friends. Following this movies' character demographics, this study draws from a Black feminist and intersectional analytical framework; and engages singlehood scholarship and aspects of politics of respectability through semi–structured interviews with Black women in the Love Jones Cohort. The two overarching research questions include: how do Black American women in the Love Jones Cohort view their single and living alone (SALA) status (choice, circumstance, or both); and in what ways do these Black women navigate their SALA status? Two main implications arise from this study. First, Black women's membership in the Love Jones Cohort can be due to choices, circumstances, or in many cases a combination of the two. Thus, to make judgments of their status based solely on individual behavior and without looking to structural context is shortsighted. Second, although Black women in the Love Jones Cohort might face mental health and well-being challenges, they have developed a variety of strategies prioritizing their safety.

The objective of this article is to examine the experiences and challenges faced by Black professionals in the academic psychiatry workforce. The authors used data collected from previous literature to explore experiences faced at each level of the academic psychiatry pipeline. Review of the literature revealed that systemic barriers contribute to burnout, high turnover, and underrepresentation of Black professionals in academic psychiatry. Retention of Black mental health professionals is fostered by institutional support and interventions that address racism and promote growth and development at every level. While there appears to be a growing body of literature in social medical and popular press, peer-reviewed literature on the experiences of Black trainees and professionals in academic psychiatry is still limited. Additional studies, including systematic data collection among Black psychiatrists, psychologists, faculty, and clinical support staffin academic settings, are needed to continue to examine experiences related to race and racism along the educational and professional workforce continuum. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2022;52(12):509–513.]

Black Mental Health and the New Millennium: Historical and Current Perspective on Cultural Trauma and ‘Everyday’ Racism in White Mental Health Spaces — The Impact on the Psychological Well-being of Black Mental Health Professionals - Author: Richard Majors

Reports on research in which 27 pastors and 81 parishioners in a Michigan city responded to a Semantic Differential instrument in an attempt to measure attitudes of black clergy toward mental health professionals. Statistical analyses suggest that black clergy tend to hold favorable attitudes toward mental health workers, a propensity running counter to some popular notions. Postulates a variety of possible reasons for the finding and urges additional research to guide cooperate efforts of black clergy and mental health professionals in their common desire to foster the social, spiritual, and psychological well-being of persons in the black community.

EP2.2, e-Poster Terminal 2, September 3, 2025, 13:05 - 14:00AimsHealth disparities disproportionately affect Black and Afrodescendant communities, leading to higher mortality rates, increased infection rates and elevated risks during pregnancy. These inequities stem from systemic racism, distrust in healthcare institutions, and underrepresentation of Black professionals in the medical field. In response, the Summit of Black and Afrodescendant Healthcare Professionals was established to create a professional network, emphasize the need for representation in healthcare, foster policy discussions, propose strategies to diversify the medical workforce and identify the most urgent health challenges affecting African descent communities in Italy.MethodsThe summit was organized by three Italian doctors of African descent and was promoted primarily through social media and academic organizations focused on health equity. The event successfully gathered professionals and students for a day of discussion and collaboration.ResultsHeld on the 19th of October 2024 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, the summit hosted 80 attendees. The program featured four oral presentations by a pediatrician, an obstetrician, a gynecologist and a public health specialist. A panel discussion on mental health, led by a therapist, engaged both professional speakers and medical students. Key themes included maternal and women’s health, mental health challenges and the role of medical distrust in shaping health outcomes for Afrodescendant communities in Italy. An evaluation survey was conducted via QR code to assess satisfaction and gather insights on themes attendees wished to see addressed in future editions.ConclusionsThe summit confirmed the urgent need for a professional network to address racial health inequities and push for institutional reforms. It highlighted that Black health professionals play a crucial role in advocating for and addressing the specific health challenges of their communities. The event marked the beginning of an ongoing effort to foster mentorship, support professional growth and drive policy change towards more equitable healthcare in Italy.

Objective: To know the academic-professional trajectory of black nurses in a teaching hospital. Methods: Qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study carried out at the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The participants were five self-declared black nurses, aged between 35 and 47 years, graduated nine to twenty years ago, working in the aforementioned teaching hospital for five to six years. The interviews were conducted virtually from May to June 2022. The content produced was transcribed in full and treated through content analysis. The research followed all ethical principles. Results: Black nurses reported difficulties, mainly financial, which impacted the access and the possibility to continue in university education during training. In addition, they revealed situations of racism experienced in daily life, whether in structural, institutional forms or in the form of microaggressions. Despite this, they understand the importance of their protagonism in the anti-racist struggle. Conclusion: There is a need for more studies involving black women and nursing, the impact of racism on the mental health of black professionals, in addition to greater efforts to combat racism.