Untold Mental Health Stories | Why Black History Is Crucial to Peer History

During Black history month, we wanted to explore the untold stories of peers along with the historical contexts of their experiences. When talking about mental health and BIPOC communities, it is important to acknowledge the lack of representation in services, stories, and leadership in order for us to improve and continue our story of Peer History. 

Our first example is Harriet Tubman. At the age of thirteen, Harriet was hit on the head with a heavy weight and as a result, began hearing voices. She credited some of the voices and visions she perceived with helping her guide over 300 enslaved people to freedom. 

Systemic Oppression of Black Americans Intersects with the Psychiatric System 

The history of Black psychiatric oppression is often omitted from the history of psychiatric services in America, and not by coincidence.  While slavery was abolished in 1865, the mindset and systems in place that enforced slavery did not end—they simply took a new shape. Following slavery, the psychiatric system became segregated. For Black Americans, diagnoses existed to mislabel the fight for freedom as a mental illness. 

In 1851, a physician named Dr. Samuel Cartwright described two “illnesses”:  

• Drapetomania, which was an “illness” that caused slaves to run away.  

• Dysaethesia Aethiopica, which was an “illness” that caused laziness among slaves —and most prevalent in former slaves—the “cure” to which was slavery.  

As segregated psychiatric institutions flourished, these types of diagnostic criteria and racist stigma created the “system of care”. As an unfortunate result, Black patients were regularly leased out to local white farmers to pick cotton and other crops. The fees paid went directly to the hospital, and through this system, the trauma of slavery proliferated in what should have been a resource for healing. 

Changing the System Did Not Happen Overnight 

Creating culturally relevant care that is actually rooted in the well-being of Black people, to replace the racist and stigmatizing system already in place, was not something that came easily. As a matter of fact, these efforts continue today, but here are a few key historic touchpoints which have radically improved systems of care: 

• In 1919, riots at Texas’ Rusk Mental Hospital demanded access to better counseling, organized exercise periods, and the same humane treatment that their white counterparts were receiving in the same facility. 

• Many Black advocates in the Peer Movement have emerged to advocate for change and culturally relevant services. 

• Black peer leaders have created their own services, specifically for their own community. 

Peer Support Happens Where and When It Is Needed 

Jennie Fulgham was sent to the segregated Central State Hospital 1947 after an intense spiritual experience at church that coincided with an impending divorce. During this time, she was forcibly medicated and physically restrained. On top of that, she had to overcome the stigma around mental health and hospitalization as a major hurdle to finding her wellness. Years later in 1978, Jennie and another ex-patient created a retreat center on a three-acre plot of land, calling it the Zuni Federation for Mental Health. The Zuni Federation for Mental Health can be considered the first peer respite of sorts, but Jennie Fulgham’s story has gone largely untold by the media. 

Dewitt Buckingham was another peer who faced incarceration due to substance use and mental health struggles. He believed in the power of talking openly about stigmatized topics, especially those within the Black community. Because of this, it was a natural transition in 2009, when Dewitt co-founded Black Men Speak, a speaker's bureau in Alameda County. He was a strong advocate for Black men in his community and beyond. 

Looking To the Future 

Understanding the intersectional relationship of slavery, Black Americans, and psychiatric oppression can help to add context to the distrust found within the Black community of mental health services. It also reflects from where and when the lack of services and representation began. 

Black peers have made a huge impact in the peer community, and their strides should be celebrated every day through acts of continued leadership. Are you a Black peer interested in stepping into your own peer leadership? Something as simple as attending our support group, Black Lives: Advocating, Demonstrating, Elevating (BLADE) can empower you and your commitment to community.  

BLADE meets on Mondays 4:00pm – 5:00pm PST on zoom. You can find it on our meeting calendar here. 

References

https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/02/black-movement-leaders-lost-found/ 
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=744219917644493 
https://wildfloweralliance.org/black-movement-history-leaders-past-present/ 
http://www.healingcircles.org/uploads/2/1/4/8/2148953/sauweb.pdf 
https://dulwichcentre.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/In_Our_Own_Voice_African_Americ[…]ression_survival_and_recovery_in_mental_health_systems.pdf