State of Black mental health one year after George Floyd's murder

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A year after the murder of George Floyd, Christopher Rogers - an activist and program director of the Paul Robeson House - speaks out on what he witnessed as the state of black mental health.

Several reports indicated that Blacks were really suffering mentally from the tragedy.

Rogers said even with time passing and a conviction remembering Floyd's death feels more like taking a Band-Aid off the wound. He said there's been a real focus on more Blacks seeking and receiving treatment.

"The engaging male health initiative and the other initiatives really lift up that call navigating trauma and navigating mental health is an everyday conversation," Rogers said.

Rogers had a good gauge of the state of Black mental health from being out among the thousands of protestors to now. He said everything moving forward boils down to real change.

"I was able to witness the horrific violence of George Floyd but also make a connection to all these stories not just in Minneapolis but here in Philadelphia," he said.

Dr. Jeffrey Gardere, America's Psychologist, said since the murder of Floyd he has seen the Black community wipe away the stigma of therapy and reach out.

"With the killing of George Floyd we were at a place of being woke," Gardere said. "We do see more Black and brown people are starting to get involved with psychotherapy services."

Both doctors and activists agreed in the case of George Floyd there still remains a lot of weariness among the black community on many levels from dealing with the police to therapy. They said it comes down to the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done.

"We're seeing grassroots communities take up these conversations in new ways and important ways that's it's galvanizing people to not think about being victims, but fighting back," Rogers said.