02/04/2026
Today, we honor Dr. Joy DeGruy—psychologist, researcher, and author—whose work gave language to experiences many in the Black community have carried for generations.
Dr. DeGruy introduced Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), a framework that connects centuries of slavery, racial violence, and systemic oppression to intergenerational trauma in Black communities. She challenged the idea that behaviors exist outside of context, reminding us that many so-called “dysfunctions” are actually adaptive survival responses.
Through her book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, Dr. DeGruy shifted conversations across mental health, education, and community care—pushing the field to look beyond symptoms and toward history.
Her work reminds us: healing Black communities requires more than treatment. It requires truth, context, and compassion.
