Black History Month: Honoring Mental Health Leaders

This Black History Month, we recognize the groundbreaking work of Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark and Dr. Kenneth Bancroft Clark.

Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in psychology from Columbia University, after completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Howard University. Alongside her husband, Dr. Kenneth Bancroft Clark, she co-led the landmark “Doll Study,” which demonstrated the psychological harm of segregation on Black children.

Their research played a pivotal role in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, helping to dismantle school segregation nationwide.

In 1946, the Clarks founded Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, providing critical psychological services to Black children and families who had long been excluded from access to care. Dr. Clark remained active in the Center’s work for more than three decades.

Dr. Kenneth Clark later became the first Black president of the American Psychological Association, further expanding representation and leadership in the field.

Their legacy reminds us that research, advocacy, and access to care can create lasting structural change.

#BlackHistoryMonth #mentalhealthawareness