Championing racial equity within mental health systems: Perceptions and experiences among state government...

The COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality, especially the murder of George Floyd, have intensified the focus on racial equity within a diverse array of organizations. While a variety of strategies are employed in the pursuit of racial equity in mental health care, there is a notable gap in recognizing the crucial role of individual staff driving change within organizations. Few studies have examined these individuals and the ways they think about their work and its impact. Here, we examine the ways that state health and mental health authority (SH/MHA) staff understand racial equity in mental health care when faced with unusual support for equity reform following the Summer of 2020. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 58 individuals working in SH/MHAs of 31 states across the United States, we examine the perspectives and experiences of staff engaging in racial equity work when they sense that sociohistoric events perhaps temporarily lifted constraints. Findings confirm the importance of people in the racial equity work process and show that study participants have the characteristics of champions with (a) a conceptualization of (in)equity that involves White systems, including their own organizations, and the need for persistent, sustainable work, (b) an emotional investment toward racial equity, and (c) autonomous motivations of morality and empathy. This study underscores the profound transformative capacity of champions within organizations. Gaining insight into their perceptions and experiences offers a deep understanding of the qualities of a champion and equips us to bolster their pursuits toward racial equity within mental health systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).