This week I will be talking about the mental health effects on communities of color. The infection rate for black people is alarmingly higher than the rate for white people. The disparity between infection rates is due to the preexisting social inequalities that African American communities already faced. These communities are being hit harder with COVID-19 and they have less access to mental health resources. It is important that these communities get access to mental health resources because they are affected the most. There is also a lot of distrust these communities have against providers because they feel like they can not find psychiatrists that understand what they are going through or look like them. African American communities are underserved and I have seen some celebrities trying to offset the costs of mental health for them by providing free virtual therapy. One of the platforms is the Boris L. Henson Foundation that is promoted by Taraji P. Henson. I have also seen Beyonce donate 6 million dollars to mental health efforts for African American communities.
- By: Anissa Lukose