Centuries of discrimination and brutality have led to historical trauma impacting generations of people of color in the United States. Add to this significant current trauma of racially fueled violence the fact that communities of color experience disparities in access to qualified care, and it’s not surprising that we are seeing increased despair among BIPOC people. We are also seeing incredible resilience — at the individual and communal levels — and creativity as people of color find ways to cope. In this interview, Vic Armstrong and I talk about many hot topics:

• Complex trauma in Black communities

• Systematic racism and the treatment gaps in services

• The trends in Black suicide rates

• The shifting role of the Black church in suicide prevention

• Distrust, crisis services and communities of color