Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of slavery that occurred on June 19, 1865. Former president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved African Americans on January 1st of 1863, though those in Galveston, Texas would not be freed until two years later in 1865. It was not until June of 2021 that Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. The prevalence of Juneteenth was reintroduced to the public eye in 2020, following the unjust deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who both lost their lives to police brutality. These horrific deaths highlighted the continuous systemic racial injustices that the Black community faces.
Over 16% of the Black community in America (which is over 7 million people!) reported having mental illness, according to Mental Health of America databases. Historical oppression and violence towards the Black community has resulted in racism in the present day, which can be experienced on a personal and systemic level. Medical racism is also a prevalent barrier to adequate health care for the Black community in behavioral and medical health care settings, as Black providers are disproportionally represented in the staffing statistics of the health care industry. Also according to the Mental Health of America databases, Black and African American people are more likely to experience chronic and persistent, rather than episodic, mental health conditions.
Old City Counseling is committed to uplifting and supporting members of the Black community and treating all of our patients with a trauma informed and culturally competent approach. Please see below for resources to support the mental health of our Black community members: