Importance of Action and Advocacy for Black Mental Health

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, today I stand with my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to address the urgent challenges faced by the Black community in mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month and to call us to advocacy, awareness and action.

While Black adults experience mental illness at similar rates to the general population, they face different outcomes. Between 2010 and 2020, Black individuals saw significant increases in suicide rates. While the share of drug overdose deaths among majority individuals decreased between 2015 and 2020, shares of these deaths among Black people rose, accounting for their disproportionate share of drug overdose deaths.

The barriers to mental wellness for Black Americans are complex. They include but are not limited to mental health treatment stigma, limited access to culturally competent care, or care at all, and the enduring effects of racism and racial trauma. Historical and ongoing racism contributes to higher poverty rates, increased incarceration, and limited access to healthcare and housing, as well as more subtle forms of discrimination like microaggressions, all of which deeply impact Black mental health.

Despite comparable rates of mental health conditions, only 39 percent of Black individuals have received mental health services due to systemic barriers and stigma. Approximately 10 percent of Black people lack health insurance, significantly affecting their access to care, and when care is sought, it often occurs in emergency departments rather than from mental health specialists. The scarcity of Black professionals in the mental health field exacerbates this gap in health care access, understanding, and trust.

Our response must include advocacy, awareness, and action.

We must push for policies that dismantle systemic barriers to mental health care, and societal drivers of Black mental health challenges. We must pursue initiatives that focus on education and destigmatization so more Black individuals seek help without fear of judgment. And we must act. We must promote diversity, equity, and inclusion training in medical education and provider training to mitigate provider bias and care inequality. And we must continue to address the enduring effects of racism and racial trauma.

Mental health is a right, not a privilege, and it is our duty to ensure that this right is upheld for every community, especially those that have been marginalized for far too long. Let us use National Mental Health and Wellness Month to commit to meaningful change. Together, we can foster healing, understanding, and resilience for all Americans.

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