The events of the past six months have laid bare the vast inequalities faced by Black Americans. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others have sparked conversations about inequality in our criminal justice system. The disproportionately high rate of deaths due to COVID-19 within the Black community have served as a catalyst for debate about inequality in our healthcare system. And the incredible challenges faced by Black business owners hit hard by the pandemic has shone a bright light on inequality in our economy.

These conversations, bound by the common thread of systemic racism, create a tapestry that outlines the Black experience in America today; one of challenges and hope, progress and despair.

Starting in June, I set out to have these conversations within our own community. I wanted to hear from Black New Jerseyans and others about the real, tangible impact of inequality on their daily lives. This report, “Lift Every Voice,” is a reflection of those conversations. It is meant to be a hard look at the issues that many in our community simply do not have to face because of the color of our skin.

The voices you’ll see below are our neighbors. They touch upon the difficulties faced by Black Americans in accessing a quality education and mental health care, getting the capital they need to open a business, and bringing effective policing closer to communities of color. They call for change, action, and results.

Change cannot take place without understanding. Action cannot be effective without listening. Results cannot be counted unless we acknowledge the challenges that are faced. I hope that this report can bring us closer to understanding and acknowledging the challenges faced everyday by the Black community, and thus closer to the action we need to take to a brighter, more equal future.

As New Jersey revisits and updates its use of force policy-- which applies to all 36,000 state, county, and local law enforcement officers-- for the first time in more than twenty years, Willingboro Township is one of several communities that have begun implementing the Task Force on 21st Century Policing Report recommendations. Created by executive order in 2014 under the Obama Administration, the Task Force on 21st Century Policing developed recommendations and best practices on policing reform meant to serve as a blueprint to building trust and legitimacy with the public for law enforcement and local governments.

Willingboro recently launched a community survey and a series of virtual citizen’s forums on policing and accountability. Willingboro Township Director of Public Safety Kinamo Lomon and Councilwoman Samantha Whitfield confirmed that these initiatives are just some of the programs being adapted to form more positive police-community relations. The township police department is also evaluating its own use of force policies.

“Trust between law enforcement agencies and the people they protect and serve is essential in a democracy. It is key to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services.” - Task Force on 21st Century Policing

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When asked about financial challenges, business owners reported relying on personal savings, help from family and friends, or second jobs to keep their businesses afloat. Lack of access to capital is a significant problem for most small business owners but is more acute for Black-owned businesses. They are less than half as likely to get financing and nearly three times more likely to have profits negatively impacted by a lack of capital, a US Chamber of Commerce analysis says.

For Crystal Lewis and Barbara Bryant-Hall, owners of I Say Yes Salon and Spa in Burlington, mentoring, coaching, and training has made the critical difference in their ability to navigate the Coronavirus crisis. The mother-daughter team are alumni of their local SBA Women’s Business Development Center Entrepreneurial Development Training Program. They hope to see counseling services, training opportunities, and financial literacy programs for entrepreneurs of color expanded to help level the playing field.

Closing the racial wealth gap and the push towards racial equality must focus on creating economic opportunity for Black communities, including small business owners and entrepreneurs. As our nation faces the coronavirus crisis, the Paycheck Protection Program's shortcomings have come to light. The racial disparities in lending are well-documented. The PPP was no different in that it predominantly helped larger, white-owned businesses with existing banking relationships receive funds. In contrast, minority-owned businesses struggled to access the same funding sources. Some progress has been made to give underserved communities equal footing, including setting aside funding for minority financial institutions and non-profit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).

Small business owners are to be commended for their resourcefulness. Their resiliency is a testament to their role as the backbone of our economy. Their pathway to recovery shouldn't be paved based on their ability to get by, and Congress must do more to ensure their survival.

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The New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists (NJABPsi) has spent over 45 years addressing mental health in the Black community. Dr. Monique Swift and Dr. Jennifer Jones-Damis serve as President and Treasurer of the organization, respectively, and have spent their careers understanding and addressing racial trauma. Outside her private practice, Swift is a facilitator for Equal Justice USA— an organization that works to facilitate healing and build trust between the community and police. In the context of the pandemic, Jones says Black Americans are facing the "dual pandemics of COVID-19 and COVID-1619"— the latter being a reference to the year Africans were captured and brought to America as slaves. Jones, who has spent a career working in mental health in the juvenile and adult corrections systems, explains that recognizing racial trauma is critical for mental health clinicians to help patients understand their struggles.

Despite the needs of the community, most Black Americans won't see a Black clinician. The shortage of Black clinicians among mental health professionals is startling. A 2015 study from the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies showed that only 4% of psychologists in the US were Black, a figure Swift calls "absurd." The American Psychiatric Association further confirms the disparities for patients. Data analysis shows only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receives it.

Recruiting and retaining Black clinicians remains a critical barrier in diversifying the mental health workforce. A historical perspective is necessary when considering the statistics. Swift explains that structural racism has resulted in intergenerational distrust of the medical system. Additionally, when undergraduate and graduate students don’t see a field that reflects their community or experience marginalization during higher education, they are less likely to pursue the profession.

Swift believes addressing this workforce pipeline is where the rubber meets the road. NJ ABPsi has worked to provide mentorship opportunities and scholarships for students through its programming. Fostering an environment where students feel supported means developing opportunities for mentorship with other Black clinicians.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI NJ) and its African American Community Together NOW (AACT-NOW) initiative have also focused on outreach and support to Black individuals and families affected by mental illness. Mark Williams, a former psychiatric nurse with NAMI NJ, says the organization has focused on combating the stigma around mental illness through family support groups.

Anti-stigma programs are vital to dispelling misconceptions surrounding mental health treatment, particularly when cultural messages around stigma persist. Williams believes expanding county and municipal-based initiatives and awareness campaigns, like stigma-free zones, is a way governments can lead anti-stigma efforts. He points out that such initiatives are being implemented successfully in parts of New Jersey, like Bergen County.

“By enlisting the resources of the community to adopt programs to educate and inform the community about mental health, we can eliminate shame and stigma.” - Mark Williams, NAMI NJ AACT Now Board Member

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