Black Americans have for a long time faced discrimination. This dates back over two centuries when black people were considered inferior to their white counterparts. As a result, African Americans may suffer mental health issues due to the effects of slavery.

Racism has adversely affected Africans Americans adversely in so many ways. We tend to be a resilient and confident race therefore we appear to fine when faced with most challenges. But research has proven that racial discrimination has psychological effects on its victims. As much as some black people may try to hide the sorrow and pain associated with racism, some give in to pressure. Increased rates of suicide among African Americans are one of the effects associated with racism effects.

According to New Republic, Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard psychiatrist was asked about the increased number of suicides in African American communities from 1980 to 1995. He argues that one of the reasons for the increase is African-American young men may see the afterlife as a better place with the hardships they face on a day to day basis.

The topic on slavery is a sensitive one even in modern America, which makes it difficult to talk about its aftermath. Outside of African Americans very few individuals will talk about slavery and the long-term affect it could have on an entire race. While teaching children about the holocaust America would like to pretend as though slavery and Jim Crow never happened. The issue of how the past is currently affecting African Americans needs to be addressed to avert greater and future problems.