The Emotional Side of Race

There are residual effects to the trauma we face. Experiences of racism and discrimination are often confusing and traumatizing. This also holds true when one is confronted with the possibility that you may be perpetuating racist stereotypes and prejudice. Cycles of internalization and perpetuation can be toxically embedded in our habits of relating. These cycles may result in shame, denial, depression, anger and blame. We will discuss how to recognize these cycles in ourselves. Although through our racial development these emotions are often normalized, we will explore the difference between guilt—which is negative and non-supportive—versus responsibility—which is both empowering and actionable. Finally, we will discuss ways of confronting discrimination that bypass emotional hijacking and are more likely to provide the results we seek. We can have a “what you did” conversation on race that does not constitute “all of who you are.”