Mind responds to Derek Chauvin conviction
Former police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of murder following the death of George Floyd last year.
Responding to this, Marcel Vige, Head of Equality Improvement at Mind, said:
“Derek Chauvin being found guilty for the murder of George Floyd is an important moment in the fight for accountability and racial equity, but it is not the end. Violence, oppression, death and institutional racism can all have a traumatising effect, no matter whether they happen in the UK or overseas. There is a strong link between racism and mental health, and there is still much more to be done to tackle institutional racism.
”This past year has been really tough for Black people’s mental health. Our own research conducted around the time of the first lockdown found that people from Black and other racialised communities had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, particularly when it came to concerns about issues like debt, employment, housing and access to benefits. All these factors can affect our mental health. Yet we also know that people from racialised communities face many barriers in asking for, receiving and benefiting from mental health services appropriate to our needs and cultural backgrounds. We also know that people from different racialised communities – particularly Black men – are far more likely to be subjected to dangerous, coercive and potentially life-threatening practices when detained under a section of the Mental Health Act.
"Tackling all forms of racism within mental health services and everywhere else it occurs – including within Government, employers and our wider society – can’t come soon enough.”
To find out more information about accessing mental health support tailored towards your ethnic and cultural background, please visit Mind’s information pages.
