A task force formed by The Steve Fund — a nonprofit focused on the mental health of youth of color — recently released a report that advises colleges and employers on how best to help students of color with mental health issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a struggling economy and ongoing racial strife.
The Steve Fund Crisis Response Task Force is composed of 21 members, including students, mental health experts, higher education administrators, corporation executives and nonprofit leaders.
Ryan Houston-Dial, a senior at the University of Texas at San Antonio and one of two students on the task force, explained how the dueling pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism have affected his mental health.
At home, he sometimes feels “cabin fever” and anxiety due to remote learning and social distancing. But he also has reason to fear going outside, worried that he could get pulled over by the police “and that could be the end of my life,” Houston-Dial said.
Dr. Carlota Ocampo, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Trinity Washington University and a member of the task force, said that widening inequities are now made apparent by the ongoing pandemics.
“What we found was so many of society’s inequities were uncovered when students suddenly needed to go online in the middle of the spring semester,” she said. “It highlighted the inequities of the healthcare system, in educational preparedness and the technological divide.”
The task force recommends that colleges and universities pay particular attention to racial trauma. Last week, Trinity Washington unveiled Trinity DARE (Driving Actions for Racial Equity), a bold initiative designed to improve the economic and social opportunities for Trinity students and their families.
