The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

Racism hurts kids’ mental health
USA Today

Fifth-graders who feel they’ve been mistreated because of their skin color are much more likely than classmates without such feelings to have symptoms of mental disorders, especially depression, a study suggests.

There is evidence that racial discrimination increases the odds that adolescents and adults will develop mental health problems…

The link between perceived racism and mental disorders is strong, he adds. For example, Hispanics who report racism are more than three times as likely as other children to have symptoms of depression; blacks are more than twice as likely; and those of “other” minority races have almost quadruple the odds. Rates are also higher for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. (more…)

This study is as useless as a second chin.

Following the logic here, Hispanic children in school districts like LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District)–a school district largely operated by Hispanics–should be of sound mind and fully capable of graduating. Unfortunately, this district alone has roughly a 33% dropout rate. The state average as of last year was about 24%.

Following the logic here, by concluding that there is a link between “perceived racism” and mental health, the New York public school system is a bastion of racism.

Black and Latino males in NYC schools more likely to end up in special ed; low chance of graduation

Allow me to remind you of Black students who had to deal with way more than “perceived racism”, yet still managed to make it without their mental health being called into question.

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1949 Southern University Graduating Class

Paine Institute held its first class on January 1, 1884, in rented quarters on Broad Street in Augusta, GA. Among the first group of young people present that morning was John Wesley Gilbert, who stepped ahead of the others and enrolled as the first student of the new school. In 1886, when the first class was graduated, Gilbert was in the group. He furthered his education by graduating from Brown University, where his work was of such exceptional merit that he was given the opportunity to study in Athens, Greece. Upon returning to the United States in 1888, Dr. Walker, then President, asked him to come back to Paine Institute as a teacher. Gilbert accepted, and became the first African American to integrate the faculty of Paine Institute.

1902, Virginia: Graduates of the Normal program, students who were trained to be teachers. (right)

Pictures are from the HBCU Library Alliance.