Race and Equity

The National Association of Black Social Workers has found that African-Americans experience better treatment results when paired with clinicians of similar race and background. There’s a strong need for black clinicians, but there aren’t always enough available.

Even though African-Americans are more likely to report major depression, only around 7 percent actually sought treatment, according to a 2011 CDC report. That’s compared to 13.6 percent of the general population. Leila Day of San Francisco's KALW tells the stories behind the numbers.

Community groups in Merced County, where ongoing violence has taken a heavy toll, are pursuing a hands-on approach to building safer and healthier neighborhoods. Some host community workshops and resource fairs; others walk the streets late at night in a call for peace.

As Merced County in California's Central Valley grapples with a rising tide of violence over the past few years, local behavioral health clinicians are paying closer attention to PTSD. The county has recorded homicides in record numbers over the past two years.

In 2013, Desiree Parreira lived a parent’s worst nightmare when her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, was shot and killed at a house party near Merced in California's Central Valley. The ensuing grief was unbearable. But in a county wracked by violence, she's not alone.

To Campbell Park. To Fairmount Park. To Lakewood, Maximo, or Melrose. The five worst elementary schools in Pinellas County­ — all among the very worst schools in Florida — have seats with their name tags on them.

Violence is a part of daily life in the most segregated elementary schools in Pinellas County, Florida. Five elementary schools had more violence than all 17 high schools combined.

First the School Board abandoned integration, leaving the schools overwhelmingly poor and black. Then they broke promises to help and stood by and did nothing as black children started failing at outrageous rates.

With a dramatic flourish, a longtime education activist recently unfurled a Confederate battle flag in front of Pinellas County School Board members, saying they had failed black students in five neighborhood schools in south St. Petersburg.

Social workers at Rhode Island’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families say they have too many cases to really make a difference in children’s lives. The agency is already facing criticism for other problems, including one of the nation’s highest percentages of foster children in group homes.