CCHR Florida Explores Historical Racism in Mental Health Practices During Black History Month Open House

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) Florida will host a month-long open house examining the persistent impact of racism within mental health practices, drawing attention to discriminatory historical and contemporary psychiatric approaches toward African-American and Hispanic communities.

The event, themed "Is Racism Alive Today?", will critically analyze how minority children in predominantly white school districts are disproportionately classified as "learning disabled" and subsequently prescribed psychoactive medications. This investigation traces racist ideologies embedded within psychiatric practices dating back to the origins of modern psychology.

Historical documentation reveals deeply problematic perspectives from prominent psychiatric figures. Benjamin Rush, considered the "father of American psychiatry," claimed Black skin was a disease requiring cure, while psychologists like Lewis Terman advocated for preventing minority populations from reproducing. These pseudoscientific beliefs fundamentally shaped systemic discrimination through medical classification.

The open house will explore how eugenics-based thinking influenced racist policies, from labeling enslaved individuals attempting to escape as mentally ill to supporting sterilization programs targeting minority populations. Psychiatrists like J.T. Dunston explicitly proclaimed racial mental hierarchies, suggesting certain populations were inherently intellectually inferior.

CCHR's research highlights how these racist ideologies persist, manifesting through contemporary diagnostic practices that continue to marginalize minority communities. By documenting these historical abuses, the organization seeks to raise awareness about systemic discrimination within mental health institutions.

The event represents an opportunity for community members to understand the complex intersections of race, mental health, and systemic oppression. By exposing these historical and ongoing practices, CCHR aims to promote greater understanding and challenge discriminatory medical paradigms.