#racial-trauma

#racial-trauma

Like a gazillion other fans out there, I couldn't wait for the final season of "Stranger Things" to come out. I was devouring the headlines, watching all the teasers, and scrolling through the interview clips. Not only am I obsessed with the quirky characters and storyline, as a child and family psychologist, I appreciate how the young people grow, strategize, and show bravery against some really strange things.

As far-right and anti-immigration influences take hold across the globe, people of colour are often struggling to know where they might feel safe. Encountering occasional racism has been a fact of life for people of colour in most countries in the west. Emboldened by the far-right movements, racist voices are now becoming louder and moving into the mainstream. One of the emergent themes within the therapy room has involved a resurgence of racial trauma, especially for those who have previously experienced significant such harm.

Black students, on average, face lower graduation rates, fewer college pathways, and long-term economic consequences. But racial trauma makes this gap worse. Whether it's being underestimated in the classroom, forced to walk through metal detectors every morning, or exposed to viral videos of police brutality, Black children absorb daily messages that erode their focus, sense of safety, and confidence. Research shows that the stress of combating stereotypes and discrimination even elevates cortisol (the stress hormone), impairing learning and motivation.

Many students reported experiencing racial microaggressions in classrooms and social spaces, including being mistaken for service workers, being made to feel like outsiders, or feeling a need to suppress aspects of their racial or cultural identity to 'fit in.'

Racial trauma is not a mental disorder but an injury stemming from experiences of racism. Healing begins with acknowledgment and empowerment, rather than pathology.