The damaging psychological impact of constantly having to explain racism
Project LEARN Category
E-Educate
Intended Audience(s)
Theme/Focus
Activism
Racism
Website Details
Experiencing racism in your day-to-day life has a heavy and accumulative impact on your social, mental and emotional wellbeing.
But what is less frequently discussed is the damaging psychological impact of constantly having to explain what racism is – or why something is racist.
Whether it’s through the ignorance of employers or colleagues, well-meaning questions from friends, or belligerent demands for proof when trying to articulate an example of injustice – people of colour are frequently used as some kind of racism reference database.
And, in a world where Google exists, explaining racism seems like an utterly unnecessary additional burden to place on the shoulders of the people who are affected by it.