A Disability Pride Month Commentary on Intersectionality, Mental Health, and Collective Liberation
Abstract:
Disability Pride Month provides a chance to honor resilience, leadership, and lived experiences of people with disabilities while confronting systemic injustices. For Black Americans with disabilities, disability cannot be understood apart from race, history, and public policy. This commentary examines the relationships among race, disability, mental health, and public policy through the lens of Black Psychology and intersectionality. While historical and contemporary public policies have contributed to disparities in wealth, employment, healthcare, and mental health outcomes, Black communities continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience, innovation, and leadership. By celebrating Black leaders with disabilities and emphasizing culturally responsive advocacy, this article calls upon black psychologists and mental health professionals to advance disability justice as an essential component of Black liberation and collective wellness.
The Intersection of Black Identity, Disability, and Mental Health
Each July, Disability Pride Month reminds us that disability is not synonymous with deficiency. Rather, disability represents one aspect of the rich diversity of the human experience deserving of dignity, accessibility, and full participation in society. Yet for many Black Americans living with disabilities, Disability Pride Month carries a deeper meaning, that of experiences of intersectionality (Crenshaw) that exist at the intersection of race, disability, socioeconomic inequality, and mental health.
This commentary is especially timely as July also commemorates Nelson Mandela International Day, honoring Mandela’s enduring legacy of courage; International Self-Care Day, emphasizing the importance of holistic well-being; and National Intern Day, celebrating emerging professionals committed to advancing their disciplines. Collectively, these observances invite us to reflect on the ways communities heal, advocate, and cultivate resilience despite systemic adversity.
Black Psychology has long challenged deficit-oriented frameworks that interpret Black experiences through the lens of pathology. Pioneers such as Joseph L. White, Na’im Akbar, Wade Nobles, and Linda James Myers have argued that psychological wellness cannot be fully understood apart from culture, history, spirituality, and collective identity. Their scholarship reminds us that mental health is shaped not only by individual experiences but also by social, political, and economic environments that either support or undermine human flourishing.
Table 1: Structural Inequities Affecting the Mental Health and Economic Well-Being of Black Americans
Census Bureau’s 2025 Annual Social and Economic Supplement:
Racial Group Median Household Income (2024)(2023)
Asian$121,700up 5.1%
White (non-Hispanic) $92,530Stagnant
Hispanic (any race)$70,950Up 5.5%
Black$56,020Down 3.3%
Asset & Wealth Disparities (2024–2026 Reports)
Household Median Net Worth:
Asian: $536,000
White: $285,000
Hispanic: $61,600
Black: $44,900
Demographic Median Wkly. Earning (2025)Median Household Income (2024/25)
Asian $1,566.00$116,503.00
White$1,231.00$83,784.00
Hispanic$951.00$70,650.00
Black$986.00$55,157.00
Bureau of Labor Statistics: For proof of the hiring practices that create income disparities:https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm
Economic data continue to illustrate these disparities (Census Bureau’s 2025). According to recent national estimates, Black households report substantially lower median household income and wealth than White and Asian households, while Black workers continue to experience significant wage disparities despite comparable labor force participation. Similarly, the thematic data supporting this commentary demonstrate persistent racial inequities in income, wealth accumulation, and poverty, with Black Americans reporting the lowest median household wealth among major racial groups. These disparities are associated with chronic stress exposure, increased allostatic load, and elevated risks for hypertension, diabetes, stroke, depression, and anxiety. The relationship between poverty and disability is reciprocal. Poverty increases the likelihood of disability through limited access to preventive healthcare, nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, and educational opportunities. Conversely, disability often limits employment opportunities and earning potential, creating a cycle that is difficult to escape. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025) reported that people with disabilities remain significantly less likely to be employed than those without disabilities, with Black individuals with disabilities experiencing among the highest rates of unemployment and underemployment. These disparities reflect systemic barriers rather than diminished ability or potential.
For mental health professionals, these statistics should never be interpreted as evidence of individual failure. Rather, they illustrate how chronic exposure to discrimination, economic insecurity, and social exclusion contributes to cumulative psychological stress. Black Psychology has long emphasized that mental health cannot be separated from the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical realities that shape lived experience (Akbar, 1996; Myers, 1988; Nobles, 2013). The profession therefore has an ethical responsibility to recognize structural inequities while resisting deficit-based narratives that pathologize Black communities. Importantly, acknowledging the role of public policy does not negate personal responsibility or resilience. Instead, it provides a more accurate understanding of the environments in which individuals make choices. People exercise agency within systems that either expand or constrain opportunity. As Black psychologists, social workers, other helping professionals, and advocates, our responsibility extends beyond the therapy room. Promoting mental wellness requires addressing the policies that shape access to opportunity, affirming the dignity of Black people with disabilities, and advancing environments in which every individual has the opportunity not merely to survive, but to thrive.
Resilience, Leadership, and the Promise of Black Disability Justice
Despite generations of structural inequities, Black people with disabilities have continually transformed adversity into leadership, innovation, and social change. Disability has never diminished the capacity of Black individuals to lead movements, shape public policy, excel professionally, or inspire future generations. Their lives demonstrate a fundamental truth embraced by Black Psychology: human potential is not defined by limitations but by resilience, purpose, and the collective strength of community (Ubuntu).
Throughout history, Black leaders with disabilities have challenged society’s assumptions about ability and leadership. Harriet Tubman, believed to have lived with the lasting effects of a traumatic brain injury that resulted in seizures, chronic headaches, and episodes consistent with narcolepsy, nevertheless guided hundreds of enslaved people to freedom and served the Union Army during the Civil War. Fannie Lou Hamer, who endured the effects of childhood polio, involuntary sterilization, and permanent injuries inflicted during police brutality, emerged as one of the nation’s most fearless voices for voting rights and racial justice. More recently, Claudia Gordon became the first Deaf Black female attorney in the United States, advocating for disability rights at the highest levels of government. Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, has become an internationally recognized disability rights advocate whose work challenges institutions to embrace accessibility as a matter of equity rather than accommodation.
Disability Pride Month therefore represents more than vivification; it is a call to action. It challenges us to move beyond awareness toward disability justice, ensuring that accessibility, equity, and inclusion become integral components of Black liberation. Likewise, Nelson Mandela International Day reminds us that lasting social change begins with courageous leadership and collective responsibility, while International Self-Care Day reinforces that caring for one’s mental health is both an individual practice and a community obligation. National Intern Day recognizes the next generation of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and advocates who will carry this work forward with integrity, compassion, and cultural humility. Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, whose leadership at the World Bank has advanced disability-inclusive development worldwide; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, whose openness about living with alopecia has expanded public conversations about disability, identity, and healthcare equity; and Curtis Pride, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Thomas Wiggins (“Blind Tom”), whose extraordinary achievements remind us that disability has never diminished Black excellence in athletics, music, public service, or advocacy.
These leaders also demonstrate an essential principle of resilience. Resilience is not the absence of hardship; rather, it is the capacity to adapt, persevere, and flourish despite adversity. Psychological resilience among Black people has long been sustained by family, faith, spirituality, cultural identity, collective responsibility, and community networks. These protective factors remain critical in promoting positive mental health outcomes and should be recognized as strengths rather than viewed through deficit-oriented frameworks.
As members of the Association of Black Psychologists, we are uniquely positioned to advance this vision. By embracing the principles of Black Psychology, advocating for disability justice, and affirming the inherent dignity of every individual, we honor the enduring legacy of those who transformed adversity into purpose. Their lives remind us that justice and healing are inseparable, and that true liberation is achieved only when every member of our community is seen, valued, and empowered to rise.
References
Akbar, N. (1996). Breaking the chains of psychological slavery. Mind Productions & Associates.
Braveman, P., Arkin, E., Orleans, T., Proctor, D., & Plough, A. (2022). What is health equity? Behavioral Science & Policy, 8(1), 1–14.
Brody, G. H., Yu, T., Miller, G. E., & Chen, E. (2015). Resilience in adolescence, health, and psychosocial outcomes. Pediatrics, 135(2), e493–e500.
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167.
Haben Girma. (2019). Haben: The deafblind woman who conquered Harvard Law. Twelve.
Linda James Myers. (1988). Understanding an Afrocentric worldview. Kendall/Hunt.
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
Photo by Muhammad-Taha Ibrahim on Unsplash
Wade Nobles. (2013). Seeking the Sakhu: Foundational writings for an African psychology. Third World Press.
World Health Organization. (2023). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Persons with a disability: Labor force characteristics—2024. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.htm
U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Income in the United States: 2024. https://www.census.gov
