Reply To: From Separate to Equal and The 1619 Project

[Miniya_Williams]

#755

(a) While reading the document The 1619 Project, I experienced a variety of emotions that both lifted my spirits and saddened me as well. The themes of resilience and progression uplifted me while the torment, brutalization, and loss left me puzzled and sad. I think what got me most was the timelines of abuse from enslavement to modern-day slavery and all that lies in between. The social, mental, physical, cultural, and economic oppression that has lingered as a residual of greed (capitalism) and malice. As policy began to shift in name and title, oppression still remains and provides further room for improvement. With regard to healthcare one thing that stuck with me the most was the false belief of physical racial differences which were used as justification for enslavement. What was most alarming, yet not surprising was that this idea still existed today. As a psychology major at an HBCU, we often reference the eurocentric textbook which excludes Black voices and experiences. To counteract that we make sure to contribute out of beliefs and experiences in order to have a better understanding of Black mental health from our own lense. In doing so, I learned that clinical psychology and other medical practices still have this mindset of excluding Black people and justifying it. With that being said, the mentality of racial differences still exists today in our medical systems and negates proper treatment. This should serve as a call for Balck healthcare physicians with a passion of not only serving but putting out research that constantly counteracts this false narrative.
(b) The language that was most profound to me was the blatant ignorance that paraded the text when it comes to othering Black bodies. Although this is a topic I am familiar with, seeing it in writing 401 years later the parallels are tragic. It really highlights the progression while illuminating the disparities, false information, and systemic racism that still negatively affect Black people in the United States.