Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu.

Every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Today we take an unflinching look at the surprising ways that racism affects black and African American people's mental health,

from changing the way that they see themselves

to passing trauma down through generations.

Some savvy psychologist listeners have rightfully wondered why a mental health

podcast has been silent on racism for a while. After all racism cuts deeply

into mental health and it's impossible to truly talk

about one without the other. And in 2020 of all years the many wounds of racism

are publicly open again and again reminding those of us who are

privileged that people who experience racism don't get to look away or

forget. Racism is a topic too big and too important to cover reactively.

Now, knowing that there is still much to learn,

I'm here with a three episode series on racism and mental health.

In this series we focus specifically on the black and African American

experience. Of course racism affects many other groups too, including non-black groups and people of

African descent around the world, not just in America.

My own cultural framework reference is informed by what's happening in the United States.

And with such a complex topic, I thought it would be most productive to mostly hone in on one geographic

area and on one racial group.

So today I'll be using the term black, broadly,

...