#BlackAmericans experiencing deadly secondary trauma during #pandemic and protesting, experts say
Protests over the killing of #GeorgeFloyd have pushed to the forefront a particular fact long known by medical professionals: #Racism kills, and it may be the main cause of health disparities between whites and Blacks.
In a recent essay, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general, wrote: “As a doctor and a policymaker, I often hear the question ‘what is it about black and brown people’ that makes us more vulnerable to the #virus? That question infuriates me. Science makes clear how powerfully our experiences and environments shape our biology.”
In her essay, Burke Harris said the images of masked protesters carrying “#BlackLivesMatter” signs are starkly juxtapose “the heroic efforts we are all making to protect our communities from coronavirus against our feckless efforts to curb the sickness of #racism that has infected #America since its birth.”
“In those images is also a reminder that the disproportionate death rate of black and brown people from #Covid-19 is no coincidence. It is directly related to the history of #racial oppression in our nation.”
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
What comes next for the #BlackLivesMatter movement?
University of Michigan Professor of #African-American Studies Keith Mayes joins to discuss new police reform legislation passed by the house and what comes next for the larger #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Burke Harris, the mother of twin sons age 17 and sons 8 and 4, told NBC News that her entire medical training and career have been devoted to reducing health disparity.
“The way chronic #stress and trauma gets under our skin and affects our biology was not being addressed. That’s why it felt important to me not only to elevate the issue, but also to elevate the science,” she said. “The science has been around for decades.”
Research has long shown a disparity between the health of Blacks and whites. The #CenterforDiseaseControlandPrevention reports that there is an overrepresentation of #Blacks hospitalized and dying of #COVID-19. Overall in the U.S., #Black people are more likely to die at early ages from all causes of illnesses.
Local governments, including those of Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver; Indianapolis; and Dallas, have recently declared #racism a public health crisis. Now advocates wait to see what solutions they will implement.
Burke Harris said: “We have to help health care providers understand how trauma affects people’s health. It is just like lead poisoning. Doctors can do medical treatment to help reduce the impact of lead on someone’s health. But the real answer is to get lead out of the paint.”
Jules Harrell, a professor of psychology at Howard University, has been involved for years in research showing how stress caused by #racism can affect the mental and physical health of #Blacks. He said the current public acknowledgement of the issue came because of “the perfect storm. … I don’t know if we could have even imagined this.”
He pointed to the fact that today #Blacks must contend with #COVID-19 — and the disparate effects the virus has had on the #Black community — while also dealing with the trauma of witnessing a string of brutal killings of #Black people.
“In the 1980s at Howard, we started looking at the physiology of #racism in the laboratory, looking at blood pressure and cardiovascular events,” said Harrell, who said researchers had #Black volunteers view films of situations like people being accused of shoplifting or refused an apartment because of race.
“Then the Rodney King incident occurred, and people saw it over and over, and it was worse than anything we were showing people,” he said. “Now we see the slow-motion #lynching of Mr. Floyd.”
“The research we did was centered around the meanness and inconvenience of #racism, but nothing like ardent cruelty,” he said. “We didn’t show that kind of thing because we thought of the ethics of it.
“We looked at cardiovascular effects — blood pressure and how hard the heart beats when experiencing some things such as #racism. It’s amazing how sensitive our systems are to this.”
Harrell said that even during sleep, the brain may still process acts of #racism and that blood pressure, which for many people goes down during rest, may not among #Blacks.
“There’s something wrong with a society that causes people to carry this even when they sleep,” Harrell said.
#Black people today are also suffering from experiencing #racism in a way that has not been possible in the past, because of #socialmedia and the constant replay of killings.
“You don’t have to be a direct target of #racism for it to negatively impact your physical and emotional health,” said Gail Parker, a psychologist and yoga therapist in Palm Springs, California. “People are experiencing secondary or vicarious trauma. Secondary trauma is the trauma of exposure to a racially charged event that leaves you feeling helpless and afraid and comes from seeing something overpowering. We are seeing this on top of the ongoing daily recurrences of #racial events that cause us emotional pain.”
Parker suggested that as society grapples with how to eradicate #racism, #Black people should do something in their immediate control: stop repeatedly watching and reading about these killings.
“#Black people have a group consciousness, so when we see a #Black person being killed or abused on television or when we read about it, we identify with that person being abused and with their family,” Parker said.
Stop watching. Don’t have conversations that are re-traumatizing, she said.
“Give yourself an opportunity to rest and recuperate before you re-engage,” she said. “It’s about self-protection. Secondary trauma is just as lethal to #Black people as secondhand smoke.”
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
