A Sobering Truth

Laurin Rinder_AdobeStock

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In honor of Black History Month, we asked clinicians to share their thoughts on Black history and the contributions of Black Americans to the psychiatric field and beyond. Here’s how they answered.

We are a tale of two Americas

One seen as pure as ivory

And the other dark as soot

Chronic neglect of the latter

A recurring theme in

Our two-faced nation

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

One suppresses

And the other oppresses

Avoidance of hardened truths

A recurring vision for

Our colorblind country

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

One breathes freely

And the other pants with fear

The difference between life and death

A recurring nightmare for

Our red, white, and blue asphalt

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

One wants to efface parts of history

And the other wants to preserve it

Selection bias on display

A recurring truth for

Our racial caste system

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

One who honors Black history with their lips

And the other who honors it with their actions

Hypocrisy stands the test of time

A recurring trauma for

Our land of liberty

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

One oppresses

And the other suppresses

Avoidance of hardened truths

A recurring vision for

Our colorblind country

I join the choir of brother Langston

I, too, sing America

We are a tale of two Americas

Searching for humanity to implore

Unity

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times^TM.

What does Black History Month mean to you? If you would like to share your thoughts, write to us at PTEditor@MMHGroup.com for a chance to be featured in our Black History Month series.