Dr. Isha W. Metzger
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Racial stressors are verbal, behavioral, or environmental stressors that individuals experience because of their race. Racial stressors may include being ignored or insulted by White coworkers, not being considered for jobs or positions, being told that they are overreacting to racial issues, behaviors or features being deemed as (e.g., hair, lifestyle) unprofessional, or being unwillingly exposed to racist material. Racial stressors have been amplified during the COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, when Black Americans were shown to be dying at a disproportionately higher rate than their White counterparts. Across most states, the number of COVID-19 deaths for Black people for every 100,000 deaths was 54.9, compared with Latinx (24.9), Asian (24.3), and White (22.7) people. As the country was forced into a life of social distancing and searched the internet daily for breaking news relating to the virus, the effects of COVID-19 on Black Americans were further compounded by social media and news sources calling attention to the longstanding problem of anti-Black racism and injustice in the United States.
The effects of COVID-19 have been layered with the painful murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, among many others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black individuals may find themselves coping in isolation and without the social networks they would typically have. Structural barriers add to the disease burden of COVID-19, with many Black Americans unable to isolate due to a high number of minority workers occupying the “essential” workforce. Moreover, many marginalized individuals have been forced to risk their health and safety so that they may protest. As horrific as these murders and the ensuing responses by the government have been, these experiences represent only a fraction of the stressors that Black Americans face everyday. It remains crucial to have discussions about race and inequality and to provide Black Americans with the resources to engage in cognitive, behavioral, and collective coping strategies both now and as needed in the future.
These guides were developed by the UGA Racial Trauma Task Force (Violeta Rodriguez, Dominique La Barrie, Miriam Zegarac, Lisa Bartolomeo, Tosin Adesogan, Kharine Jean, Kelly Rea, and Dr. Karen Smith), with substantial support from Dr. Isha Metzger, Latisha Swygert, Briana Spivey and the EMPOWER Lab.
What is Racial Trauma
DEFINING RACIAL TRAUMA
Here is an infographic version of this guide.
The negative effects of racial discrimination and the unfair or prejudicial treatment of individuals on the basis of race on Black Americans are well documented. Experiences with racial discrimination are associated with negative mental (e.g., depression, anxiety, hopelessness, violent behavior) and physical (e.g., hypertension, thickening and calcification of the arteries, and heart rate variability) health outcomes. These detrimental effects on health are found independent of socioeconomic status, age, and gender. Moreover, over 60% of Black Americans endorse at least one experience of racial discrimination in their lifetime, and findings suggest that the links between experiences of racial discrimination and negative health outcomes are stronger for Black Americans than for any other group. Carter (2007) posits that some Black Americans who experience racial discrimination can develop racial trauma, a psychological trauma with symptoms comparable to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5 criteria for PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), which include negative alterations to cognition and mood, intrusive symptoms, avoidance, and physical reactions.
THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF RACISM AND GENDER
While individuals of all racial-ethnic minority groups (i.e. Latinx, Indigenous peoples, etc.) are at risk of experiencing racial discrimination and racial trauma, Black Americans are especially at risk, as anti-Black racism is individual, systemic, and historical. Additionally, it is important to consider the compounding impact of belonging to multiple marginalized and oppressed groups, including (but not limited to) race, gender, and sexuality, and how these intersections interact and increase susceptibility to experiences of racial trauma. The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which various identities interact and shape the experiences of individuals from marginalized groups. More specifically, examining the effects of racial trauma through the lens of intersectionality allows for a more thorough account of the multiple identities occupied by Black Americans (e.g., Black trans women, Black differently-abled Americans, etc.) and how those who occupy multiple identities are impacted by racial trauma. For example, Black women exist at the intersection of double marginalization: being Black, faced with the adversities previously stated, and a woman, places them in a position beneath Black men in social hierarchies. As such, it is important to consider intersectionality when discussing the impact of racial trauma and how Black Americans who occupy multiple identities are often forgotten and erased from the narrative of protests and movements. Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was murdered while she was asleep in her home, has received much less media attention (and consequently, slower moving progress on her family’s fight for justice) amidst the current protests. Intersectionality is important in considering why the American public were spurred into outrage and protests in response to the murder of George Floyd, but less noticeably so for Breonna Taylor.
SYMPTOMS OF RACIAL TRAUMA
Psychologically, racial trauma can cause symptoms that mirror those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
These negative psychological outcomes are not only present in adults, but have been found to appear as in children of color as early as 12 years of age. However, the toll of racial trauma and stress is not limited to psychological outcomes. The negative effects of racial trauma also affects physical health outcomes. These symptoms are often exacerbated by the common lack of access to adequate medical services for people of color as a result of systematic racism. Physical symptoms can include:
Coping With Racial Trauma
RACISM, DISCRIMINATION, AND PREJUDICE- SOME EXAMPLES IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
POLICING
COPING WITH RACIAL TRAUMA
Here is an infographic version of the guide to Help Children & Teens Cope With Racism.
Below are multiple suggestions on what non-Black individuals can do to show solidarity:
The “Talk” is a parenting task that Black parents engage in with their children that includes how to act when approached by the police and how to survive in a racist society. The ‘Talk’ is a form of racial socialization, a necessary practice that Black families engage in to prepare their children for likely experiences with racial discrimination.
PRESCHOOL:
MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BEYOND:
ELEMENTARY:
Resources on how to initiate conversations about race, racism, and using your privilege to undo racism and White privilege
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