Black American Women’s Labor and Mental Health in the United States

Abstract

African American women have an extensive legacy as laborers in the United States. Despite their long-term contribution to the American economy and overall advancement in higher education and professional fields, economic reports warned Black American wealth was on the road to imminent decline, post the COVID-19 global pandemic. Disparate outcomes across physical health, mental health and wealth measures continue to illustrate the impact of structural barriers compromising African American women’s sense of well-being in their pursuit of modern success including upward mobility, wealth building, increased social status, asset accumulation and fulfilling personal or domestic lives. Paradoxically, both popular media and psychological literature continue to depict African American women as strong and resilient figures, often at the cost of erasing their lived experiences. This research study aims to deconstruct myths and narratives surrounding Black American women’s success by investigating the realities of their mental health and labor.African American women have an extensive legacy as laborers in the United States. Despite their long-term contribution to the American economy and overall advancement in higher education and professional fields, economic reports warned Black American wealth was on the road to imminent decline, post the COVID-19 global pandemic. Disparate outcomes across physical health, mental health and wealth measures continue to illustrate the impact of structural barriers compromising African American women’s sense of well-being in their pursuit of modern success including upward mobility, wealth building, increased social status, asset accumulation and fulfilling personal or domestic lives. Paradoxically, both popular media and psychological literature continue to depict African American women as strong and resilient figures, often at the cost of erasing their lived experiences. This research study aims to deconstruct myths and narratives surrounding Black American women’s success by investigating the realities of their mental health and labor.