02/01/2026
In honor of Black History Month, Impact Behavioral Health Partners is recognizing Black pioneers whose work transformed mental health care and social justice.
Mamie Phipps Clark, PhD, was a groundbreaking psychologist whose research on racial identity, self-perception and segregation's effects, had a lasting impact on psychology and civil rights. Alongside her husband, Kenneth Clark, Dr. Clark conducted the “Doll Test,” which demonstrated how segregation and racism negatively affected Black children’s self-esteem and identity.
Her research was cited in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, helping to dismantle school segregation in the United States.
Dr. Clark co-founded the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, providing culturally responsive mental health services to underresourced communities.
Dr. Clark’s work highlighted the deep connection between social conditions and mental health. Her practice continues to inform trauma-informed, equity-centered care today.