What is Racial Trauma for African Americans/blacks in America?
The mental health symptoms of black individuals who have encounters with law enforcement, those who witness these events directly or indirectly may also be impacted negatively. To capture how racism and discrimination negatively impact the physical and mental health of people of color, many scholars have coined the term "racial trauma" or race-based traumatic stress. Racial trauma may result from racial harassment, witnessing racial violence, or experiencing institutional racism (Bryant-Davis, & Ocampo, 2006; Comas-Díaz, 2016). The trauma may result in experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of humiliation, poor concentration, or irritability.
Effects of Racial Trauma on Communities of Color
Decades of research have noted the impact of discrimination and racism on the psychological health of communities of color. Although not everyone who experiences racism and discrimination will develop symptoms of race-based trauma, repeated exposure may lead to the following. According to a report on The Impact of Racial Trauma on African Americans, Dr. Walter Smith notes the following effects of racial trauma:
Increase vigilance and suspicion – Suspicion of social institutions (schools, agencies, government), avoiding eye contact, only trusting persons within our social and family relationship networks
Increase sensitivity to threat – Defensive postures, avoiding new situations, heightened sensitivity to being disrespected and shamed, and avoiding taking risks
Increase psychological and physiological symptoms – Unresolved traumas increase chronic stress and decrease immune system functioning, shift brains to limbic system dominance, increase risks for depression and anxiety disorders, and disrupt child development and quality of emotional attachment in family and social relationships
Increase alcohol and drug usage – Drugs and alcohol are initially useful (real and perceived) in managing the pain and danger of unresolved traumas but become their own disease processes when dependency occurs
Increase aggression – Street gangs, domestic violence, defiant behavior, and appearing tough and impenetrable are ways of coping with danger by attempting to control our physical and social environment.
During the Obama Administration, the first black President: According to the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent in 2016 "Citing the past year's spate of police officers killing unarmed African American men, the panel warned against "impunity for state violence," which has created, in its words, a "human rights crisis" that "must be addressed as a matter of urgency." The group of experts, which includes leading human rights lawyers from around the world, presented its findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, pointing to the continuing link between present injustices and the dark chapters of American history.
"The legacy of colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism, and racial inequality in the United States remains a serious challenge, as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent," the report stated. "Contemporary police killings and the trauma that they create are reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching." (Washington Post, 2016).
In its report, it specifically dwells on the extrajudicial murders that were a product of an era of white supremacy: Lynching was a form of racial terrorism that has contributed to a legacy of racial inequality that the United States must address. Thousands of people of African descent were killed in violent public acts of racial control and domination and the perpetrators were never held accountable.
The reparations should come in a variety of forms, according to the panel, including "a formal apology, health initiatives, educational opportunities ... psychological rehabilitation, technology transfer and financial support, and debt cancellation."
On August 13, 2017, a White Nationalist hate group came to profoundly erupted an evil protest in a quiet town Charlottesville, Virginia to exercise their 1st and 2nd Amendment rights. They arrived with machine guns, dressed in military uniforms and shields, "without masks" with bare faces shouting out hateful racist remarks provoking fights with young college students and counter-protesters ready to start a race war. In America, these White supremacist groups have a legacy of racial inequality shaped by the enslavement of millions of black people. After the era of slavery was followed by decades of terrorism, during the period between the Civil War and World War II, thousands of African Americans were lynched in the United States. Lynchings were violent and public acts of torture that traumatized black people throughout the country and were largely tolerated by local, state and federal officials. These lynchings were terrorism. "Terror lynchings" peaked between 1880 and 1940 and the 21st century claimed the lives of African American men, women, and children who were forced to endure the fear, humiliation, and barbarity of this widespread phenomenon unaided.
Today lynching of black people comes in different forms that no other culture in America is experiencing. The new rationalization of self-defense and fear only to murder a black person is the "new law" and the logical excuse acceptable to the justice system. During a traffic stop [Philando Castile murdered]; having a mental crisis [Ryan LeRoux’s] murdered; and not resisting arrest [George Floyd] murdered in the daylight in cold blood. These unjustified murders give many racists to challenge the justice system on “how to get away with murdering a black person”. Just watching some of these murders on live TV exacerbates "racial terror" is like our ancestors watching their loved ones "hang in a tree" as public display, just because they read a book.
Yet still today the same protest rule doesn't apply to African American citizens who exercise their 2nd Amendment rights to bare arms; blacks get murdered without any re-approach. Statistics prove that 71% of murdered cops are by white offenders. However, the myth remains that "Black people owning guns would upset the social order". At this KKK & White Nationalist protest in Virginia on TV lawmakers and police officers didn't say a word to these "hate" groups concerning their weapons as if it's tolerable to have them conceal such weapons to provoke and cause trauma to innocent protestors. We had too many local, state, and federal politicians quiet about these white supremacists hate group protests in Charlottesville, VA and it is traumatizing for minorities.
It's the truth how African Americans were enslaved for the purpose of "free forced labor" and slavery was the worst oppression of human mankind that America has ever known but the psychodynamics of the racist psychopaths in America wants to return to slavery. However, most of the protestors don't desire slavery and are opposed to returning to those evil racist days. But when racism is not protested, it is still hidden and affecting African Americans in other ways such as systemic or institutionalized bigotry; blacks are still statistically economically, and socially unequal in pay, advanced job opportunities, housing, boardrooms, education and CEOs in companies, etc., however, harassed by police targets and stops, patterns of excessive force, search, fined and arrest black residents at a disproportionate rate; it's not about public safety but for revenue; mass incarceration "free forced labor" (servitude) and unfair justice system that the usual pattern or practice of unlawful conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and federal statutory law."
America is not yet a "colorblind" or a "diversified' society in a lot of areas especially when we witness politicians besides Donald Trump who believed there was evil on "two sides" in the quiet town of Charlottesville, Va. which led to a murdered young lady; two helicopter police officers died; and several innocent injured protesters by a car by one KKK member. The White Nationalist protesters who were aggressively narcissistic dressed in military combat, guns, and shields igniting a "race war" and shouting out racial obscenities to protesters; surprisingly there were no "direct" arrests or injuries against the hate group members because of their "evil" actions in Charlottesville, Va.
As civil rights and protections are just a “facade in the past” when it comes to black people there is no such thing of civil rights [work protections], there is no "risk or fear" by racists who do not lose their employment expressing "hate"; black we have to deal with teachers, judges, police officers, politicians, etc., who works within the community with African Americans who must deal with racist behavior daily. Mass shootings targeted African Americans as they went to church to worship [Charlotteville, South Carolina], shopping for food [Buffalo, NY], and picking up knickknacks from Dollar Tree [Jacksonville, Florida], this is not enough for racial terror?
Most African Americans and/or blacks view "White Nationalist" as a psychopathic and evil hate group with a history of lynching, rapes, dominating, and torture, which exacerbates anxiety and trauma to minorities, "How can anyone compare these racists to be "good people?" America watched the actions of Presidents and other politicians negatively handle the situation similar to past politicians choosing to ignore, be silent, or manipulate statements that there were no good "two sides" from the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. While the White Nationalist represents the (below) picture they are "psychopaths and sadists" that is controlling and in the business of deriving pleasure from the suffering, and/or inflicting physical pain on blacks or homicide.
