NJ Spotlight News (January 28, 2021) covering The American Psychiatric Association apologizing for “perpetrating structural racism.”
After 175 years, a formal apology has been issued from The American Psychiatric Association for perpetrating structural racism that has resulted in a history of actions that have hurt Blacks and Indigenous peoples. Over the years the differential diagnoses applied due to racial status have resulted in many minority lives being altered in a negative fashion.
Thurmond Gillis Jr., Project Manager and Co-Chair of the Cultural Diversity Committee at Care Plus NJ said, “There are so many things that are happening within these communities now, but we are also dealing with a lot of the transgenerational traumas that we have and this goes back to slavery.”
In regards to other mental health institutions taking accountability in their role of being complicit with the structural racism, Gillis commented, “I think people are really taking a look at their structure and how they’ve been performing over the years, and with that investigation you unravel and start to notice all the stuff that has been coming out.”
Dr. Jeffrey Geller, President of the American Psychiatric Association says that changes are now being made to the board of trustees along with having training and a task force has been formed to educate members on structural racism.
Thurmond Gillis Jr. and Dr. Monique Swift demand that those initiatives and plans turn into action rather than just speaking points.
CarePlus NJ, INC. is dedicated to excellence in mental healthcare and has a commitment to life-long support needed by individuals and their families to ensure that they achieve their full potential and improve the quality of their lives.
