Black History Month

Every October, we celebrate Black History Month. As part of this, it's important to recognise and celebrate the diverse past, present and future of the College. 

Throughout the month, we mark the contribution of some of our Black psychiatrists to mental health services and use the occasion to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black people to society.

2026

As we mark the start of Black History Month and shine a spotlight on the great work many of our psychiatrists do promoting mental health in their communities, read about a hugely positive recent experience of a group of RCPsych members from the Association of Black Psychiatrists. They took to the streets at the Notting Hill Carnival in London to help challenge perceptions that mental health services are distant, inaccessible or disconnected from the diverse communities they serve. 

Podcast

Continuing our celebration of BHM, we spoke with Dr T. Ayodele Ajayi, a consultant psychiatrist and founder of Tripart Care Emotional Well-Being Global Hub.

This discussion covers topics including mental health, specifically in the black community, the work of Tripart Care, the impact of mentoring, access to care, and more.

2025

The theme for Black History Month in 2025 was 'Standing Firm in Power and Pride',  which highlighted the profound contributions made by Black people be they leaders, activists, or pioneers who have shaped history, while also looking towards a future of continued empowerment, unity, and growth.

It was fitting that we started our celebrations with a short message from our Aggrey Burke Fellows - Iyinoluwa Popoola, Elsie Ampomah and Pettiann Bhoorasingh.

They shared their insights on why the Aggrey Burke Fellowship Scheme, started by RCPsych in 2023 for Black medical students considering a career in psychiatry and named after the first Black psychiatrist to work in the NHS, Dr Aggrey Burke, is so important to them and for the future of psychiatry.

Podcast

In this Black History Month edition of our podcast, we heard from our Aggrey Burke Fellowship participants. They discussed their motivations for joining, memorable experiences, the importance of representation in psychiatry, and the challenges they faced. They also reflect on how the fellowship has shaped their perspectives on mental health, career development, the significance of networking and mentorship in their journey as future psychiatrists, and what it means to stand in power and pride.

Blog post by our President

We also shared a powerful blog post from our (then) President, Dr Lade Smith CBE. In the post, she discussed racism in psychiatry, its impact on patients, what progress the College and others have made and what more needs to be done.

Previous BHM events and activities