MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
January 18th was Martin Luther King Day in the United States. Even as a Canadian, I think it is incredibly important to observe this day and reflect on how much we still have to work on when it comes to systemic racism and racial inequality. The last year shone a bright light on the glaring injustices that continue to take place in our society towards black individuals and the black community. Then on January 06, 2021 when domestic terrorist stormed the Capitol buildings in Washington, we very clearly saw how white supremacy is not a thing of the past but a very real ideology held by many people today. These racial injustices have a very clear impact on mental health and mental wellbeing. In 1967 Dr. King made a speech to psychologists with the American Psychological Association in Washington and when I read his speech, it was striking to realize how much it resonates with the current state of the world in 2021.
“You who are in the field of psychology,” he said, “have given us a great word. It is the word ‘maladjusted.’ This word is probably used more than any other word in psychology. It is a good word; certainly it is good that in dealing with what the word implies you are declaring that destructive maladjustment should be destroyed….I am sure that we will recognize that there are some things in our society, some things in our world, to which we should never be adjusted,” King said. “There are some things concerning which we must always be maladjusted if we are to be people of good will. We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.”
The societal norms of the 60s are still present today, and racism continues to be a reality faced by BIPOC individuals. We know now that psychological well-being is linked to social and economic well-being, and there is no denying the fact that BIPOC suffer from higher rates of mental illness. Mental health treatment can sometimes gloss over these systemic issues and places more of an emphasis on the individual. Without acknowledging these very real issues, we end up blaming the victim for their circumstances. We may end up telling them that they will continue to be “maladjusted” unless they adjust to injustices of racism and bigotry. Being trauma-informed in mental health also means acknowledging the social issues that people are faced with. One of the leading doctors in the field of trauma, Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, noted this in his amazing book The Body Keeps the Score:
”I wish I could separate trauma from politics, but as long as we continue to live in denial and treat only trauma while ignoring its origins, we are bound to fail. In today’s world your zip code, even more then you genetic code, determines whether your will lead a safe and healthy life. People’s income, family structure, housing, employment, and educational opportunities affect not only their risk of developing traumatic stress but also their access to effective help to address it. Poverty, unemployment, inferior schools, social isolation, widespread availability of guns, substandard housing all are breeding grounds for trauma. Trauma breeds further trauma; hurt people hurt other people”
Our mental health and mental well-being is intertwined with our community and environment and if racialized communities continue to be treated as lesser then and do not receive adequate resources and support, the mental health crisis we are faced with will only continue to grow. Dr. King and many of the experts in mental health and psychology have made it abundantly clear that in order for a person to be mentally healthy, their surroundings also need to be healthy and safe as well. You can't solve a problem if you can't talk about it. For that reason, Dr. King's words still ring true.
