ABSTRACT
Like all communities, multiple issues affect South Asian Americans, and significantly impact their mental health. Oftentimes, many South Asian American individuals in communities may hold the idea that our experiences and challenges are exceptional, unique, and an aberration rather than a necessary symptom of systemic racism and white supremacy. The first evidence of South Asian Americans extends to the 1790 in which an Indian man came to the United States from Chennai and then chose to reside in Massachusetts. This chapter focuses on how racism and discrimination have evolved and impacted intergenerational populations. It covers historical US discrimination against early Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, and other South Asian populations dating back to the early 1800s and leading into the 1960s civil rights movement to the present. The chapter also highlights the importance of advocacy, social justice, and public policy relevant to addressing South Asian American mental health issues and needs.
