[Brad]

Thank your for your reply and engagement in continuing this conversation. You raise some valid points Razak and suggest a concrete course of action in the education system. Best.

[Razak]

That is a good question. As a school social worker, I discovered many families I have worked/working with do not have a family doctor. Of those many families these families sometimes do not understand in order to receive special educational services they would also need to see a doctor. The effort on the schools part, is sometimes not enough or delayed in some cases. School staff would tell me, I wish the family would see a family doctor. I would ask why would this be important and the school would say well there are concerns (medical ) beyond what the school can do to help. I would tell my school from a school perspective please tell me what do you see and observe. What worries you and put it in writing so that our families can explain what is happening when they see a family doctor. My job then would be to help facilitate a referral for these families to connect with a family physician and to support them (if needed) to make an initial appointment before the school writes a letter of concerns from their daily observations working with the student. The hope in the end that medical intervention is sought in a timely manner so no student is left (further) behind.

It is very frustrating to get involve in these situation when you know the school could have easily engage, communicate with the family first. My impression is that they do not want to interact with certain families- One can guess why that might be.

[Cyril]

Thanks for sharing your insights and concrete ways to close some of these gaps.

I wonder what accountability measures could be put in place to improve relationships between families and schools – especially families who regularly face systemic discrimination and may not have much social capital?

[YouthREX- Kamau]

Too often the health concerns black youth face are underestimated because of implicit bias that black people are innately able to withstand more. In addition, anti-black racism has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and anger, which inevitably leads to varying mental health consequences. The poor experiences many black youth face in the healthcare system coupled with mental health services not being being restricted to those with certain income levels limit the care black youth face in the health care system.

These topics are discussed in YouthREX’s Centering Black Youth Wellbeing Certificate in Module 2, Lesson 3.

https://learn.youthrex.com/courses/abr-critical-practice-for-centering-black-youth-wellbeing

Shervin Assari also deeply explores these topics in, “Perceived Discrimination among Black Youth: An 18-Year Longitudinal StudyPerceived Discrimination among Black Youth:
An 18-Year Longitudinal Study”.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/8/5/44

[Karen]

I think the assumption that Black people are able to withstand more comes from both within and outside of Black culture. First, the deliberate efforts to represent Black people in ways that authenticate their brutality and exclusion, solidifies the myth that we can handle more burden. So when we reach out for help, our cries are ignored. Second, Blacks are often taught in-home that in order to be strong we need to handle our struggles on our own. The stigma attached to any health concern, silences us which of course we know leads to increased illness within the community. Many Black families also rely heavily on religion as a way to cope with their problems (for many this is a protective factor against mental illness). Finally, many Black families experience feelings of mistrust toward services because of historical trauma and further marginalization within healthcare. Recently a colleague told me of an experience with a surgeon prior to her operation. She was handled abruptly, and made to feel like she was unintelligent. She expressed that especially because she was Black and Francophone she felt the necessity to talk about her credentials as the only way to gain respect and leave the hospital with a little of her humanity. Imagine what her experience would have been if on top of being Black she was not educated. When I reflect on this experience I’m reminded of how the Black experience and access to care differ depending on how our various identities intersect.

[Brad]

Thank you for your reply Kamau and suggested reading…Appreciate it!