February is Black History Month, and I would like to recognize some of the pioneers who have paved the way in social work and in the mental health field.
Dr. Ruby M. Gourdine, Expert in the Fields of Juvenile Justice, Foster Care and Adoption
(1948 – 2022)
A longtime professor at Howard University, Ruby Gourdine began her career as a probation officer in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Richmond, Virginia, where she became interested in issues of race and child welfare. She has worked as a clinician, administrator, consultant, and researcher in the fields of juvenile justice, foster care and adoption (child welfare), medical social work, school social work, as well as social work history.
Bebe Moore Campbell, Author and the force behind National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (1950-2006)
Bebe Moore Campbell was an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities. She founded NAMI – Inglewood in a predominantly Black neighborhood to create a space that was safe for Black people to talk about mental health concerns. On June, 2, 2008, Congress formally recognized Bebe Moore Campbell for initiating National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (July) to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face regarding mental illness in the US.
Jennifer Eberhardt, Ph.D., Implicit Bias Expert
Jennifer Eberhardt is an esteemed professor of psychology at Stanford University. She has dedicated her career to illuminating the implicit prejudice that guides people’s behavior and decision-making processes. She is an expert on consequences of the psychological association between race and crime and has done extensive research on the topics of implicit bias, criminal justice, and the education system. Her work has provided the evidence needed to educate law enforcement officers in implicit bias training and she has been an advisor to police forces across the country.
Howard C. Stevenson, Ph.D., A leader in racial literacy
Dr. Howard Stevenson is a nationally sought expert on how racial stress and racial trauma can affect every stage of life. He is shining a guiding light on the importance of racial literacy. His work focuses on how educators, community leaders, and parents can emotionally resolve face-to-face racially stressful encounters that reflect racial profiling in public spaces, fuel social conflicts in neighborhoods, and undermine student emotional well-being and academic achievement in the classroom.
Bea Arthur,  LMHC, ED. M, MA, A leader in the intersection of tech and mental health
Bea Arthur, LMHC is a Columbia University-trained psychotherapist, startup founder, and speaker who works with high-performance individuals in high-pressure work environments. Her career lives at the intersection of psychology and technology and her third company, The Difference, connects users with on-call therapists to provide affordable access to therapy anytime anywhere.
Malene K. White, LMHC, EMDR,CASAC-T
Program Manager
