Racial
trauma is a mental and emotional injury caused by repeated encounters with
racism, racist narratives, or racial discrimination or harassment. Common ways
Black youth are exposed to racial trauma include the small, everyday acts such as
microaggressions, racist bullying, denied opportunities, racial profiling, or
hateful narratives that stem from xenophobia. These encounters, called
race-based incidents, may occur directly, or may happen indirectly, for
example, as a result of witnessing, watching a video of police brutality
against a Black person.
Whether
they occur directly or indirectly, race-based incidents have negative
psychological effects on Black people and leave them feeling wounded. In such
experiences, one can notice that even when one tries to forget, forgive, or
extend grace to those inflicting race-based incidents, one is nonetheless left
with the psychological mark of hurt that was caused by the act. While one may
eventually be able to move forward, each new encounter with discrimination, racism, racist bullying, racist narratives, microaggressions,
or racial profiling leads to additional wounds to one’s mental and emotional
wellbeing.
And after repeated experiences, one may start to question their self-worth and value, wondering, “What is wrong with me?” and “Why am I being treated like this?” One may further experience emotional reactions such as feelings of hopelessness, anger, shame, humiliation, or outright frustration, as well as behavioural reactions such as avoidance of situations in which one anticipates being the target of a race-based incident. Because racial trauma is a result of accumulated effects over time, one may not even be aware that their reactions are indeed in response to their encounters with racism.
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