This Handbook is a landmark in our understanding of the mental health issues which challenge African-heritage populations in Europe (particularly in the UK and the Netherlands) and in North America – countries which imposed slavery on African populations. The racism which survives today is a perpetuation of the values which supported slavery: issues of labelling and victim-blaming continue, and take their toll on minority populations. The 40 activists, clinicians and scholars who contribute chapters to this handbook are well qualified and experienced in their specialist fields and bring their unique insights and knowledge on Black Community Mental Health issues to a Handbook which will be of great value for students, trainees, academics and practitioners from multidisciplinary backgrounds. The authors have also been ably guided and organised by the Handbook’s three editors (two from the US, one from the UK). Overall, there is much quality in the writing, many insights, and bases for further action.

Dr. Richard Majors is a Counselling Psychologist and Honorary Professor at the University of Colorado in the United States, who has been living and working in the UK for over 20 years. He is the founder and former deputy editor of the Journal of African American Studies (formerly the Journal of African American Men), one of the largest ethnic journals in the US. He also is a former Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. While at Harvard, Majors co-founded the National Council of African American Men (NCAAM), one of the first umbrella groups in the United States for African American males. He was a Senior Research Associate at the prestigious Urban Institute in Washington, DC for two years. In 1996/97, prior to moving to the UK, he was appointed a Leverhulme Visiting Fellow for Research. In 2000 he was appointed a Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Dr. Majors wrote the lead psychological expert statement, in the UK high court for the landmark case, SGvs St. Gregorys Science School, which successfully overturned previous policy and legislation that prevented Black children from being able to wear culture-specific hairstyles in school. Dr. Majors has also met with members of the Clinton Administration to discuss youth policy. He is the author/co-author of seven books and dozens of scholarly articles. His book Cool Pose: The Dilemmas of Black Manhood in America (1992) was submitted for Pulitzer Prize by the publisher and was on the publisher bestsellers’ list in 1992. Cool Pose is considered a classic in the field and is one of the most cited books in race relations and gender in the US. Previously, in the UK he was selected to be on a Ministerial Working Group on Education and Gangs. Majors was selected in 2015 to receive the Warrior Award from the International Colloquium on Education for his longstanding service, research and leadership on education, globally. In 2016 he was shortlisted, for the Medical Livewire Global Award for his work in the field of psychology. Dr. Majors was again honoured in 2018 by Medical Livewire for his outstanding work in the field of psychology and this time was bestowed with their prestigious award: 'Psychology Professional of The Year'. In 2019, he received the Expert Witness Award from Lawyer Monthly Magazine, in recognition of his specialised knowledge and experience within the area of Trans-cultural Psychology.

Karen Carberry, MSc, Dip.Psych. is a Black British Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, Consultant Family Therapist of Orri - Specialist Day Treatment for Eating Disorders,  AFT Registered Systemic Supervisor and a Fellow of the Asian Academy of Family Therapy (AAFT). Karen gained her Master's Degree from the Institute of Family Therapy in London and Birkbeck College, University of London. In addition to her clinical inpatient work in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) and adult psychiatry, Karen has managed several family centres and contact centres for divorced/estranged parents and their children. Karen also has extensive clinical specialism in working with all parties affected by adoption. As a practitioner-scholar, she has been involved in a variety of academic activities both nationally and internationally, and written book reviews for various publishers. Karen has presented papers, lectures and conducted a number of masterclasses/seminars in the UK, Jamaica, Indonesia, Haiti, Singapore, and the Dominican Republic amongst other countries.

Dr. Theodore S. Ransaw received his Bachelor’s as well as Master’s Degrees in Communication Studies and his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  His Doctorate is in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Multicultural and International Education.  Currently he is a K-12 Outreach Specialist in the College of Education at Michigan State University and Core Faculty in African and African American Studies, also at MSU.  His research centers on cognition of identity and schooling.  He looks at what fathers do to help their children get ahead in school, the relationship between Black male identity and educational outcomes, and the role student identity plays in education.  He also served as a director of four mentorship programs at three at-risk schools and as an achievement gap specialist for males of color.  Dr.Ransaw is a certified education coach, and education consultant.   He is also a co-editor of the Handbook of Research on Black Males, and the author of the Art of Being Cool: The Pursuit of Black Masculinity.