Understanding Racial Trauma and Student Mental Health

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Emily Cazer, Natia Tonge, Liza Matula, Leslie QuijadaStacy A. S. Williams, Ph.D., NCSP, LP

emilycazer@gmail.com

Table of Contents

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Background Information School Staff and Racial Trauma

Students and Racial Trauma

How We Can Help

Mentimeter

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What is Racial Trauma and Who Experiences it?

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● Racial Trauma is a stressful impact or emotional pain of one’s

experience with racism, discrimination and systemic

oppression.

● Students from racial minority groups are more likely to

experience distress from acts of violence and aggression

against people who look like them.

Why is it important to know about Racial Trauma?

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● Students need adult guidance to navigate this information and

their experiences.

○ Have open and honest discussions with adults about their

experiences.

● As school professionals, we should be knowledgeable about the

stressors and experiences that our students may face.

Psychological Symptoms of Racial Trauma

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● Re-experiencing distressing events● Toxic Stress ● Avoidance

○ Less willingness to take academic risk○ Higher school dropout rates

Physical Symptoms of Racial Trauma

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● Body pains● Cardiovascular disease● Hypertension ● Respiratory complications● Digestive issues

Academic and Behavioral Impact of Racial Trauma

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● Lower IQ scores & Impaired working memory● Delayed language & vocabulary● Exhibit poorer attention, increased hyperactivity, & impulsivity● Increased withdrawal

The Developmental and Ecological Model of Youth Racial Trauma

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School Staff and Racial Trauma

School Staff and Racial Trauma

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Research currently suggests that school staff

● Experience uncertainty

● Lack competence

● Have limited training

● Have limited policy knowledge

In relation to childhood trauma, especially racial trauma

School Staff and Racial Trauma

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Research shows that students continue to experience racism, discrimination and systemic oppression in school settings by school

staff.

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School Staff and Their Own Trauma

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Secondary Trauma

● The experience of caregivers who are in close proximity to, and have relationships

with, others who are experiencing trauma but who do not have sufficient supports

to manage the trauma of the other person.

Supporting Our Students Suffering from Racial Trauma

Sense of Belonging

Fostering a Sense of Belonging

With a Sense of Belonging students can develop: • Sense of identity• Self acceptance • Support from peers and school staff• Resilience

Positive relationship with academics● Higher grades● Motivation● Higher rates of high school graduations ● Educational aspirations ● Increase in attendance

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Brooms, D. (2019). “I Was Just Trying to Make It”: Examining Urban Black Males’ Sense of Belonging, Schooling Experiences, and Academic Success. Urban Education (Beverly Hills, Calif.), 54(6), 804–830. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085916648743

Positive Teacher Characteristics

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Takes the time to build relationships with students

Helps students with personal and academic concerns

Challenges students

Effectively communicates and problem solves with students

Quality time in structured and unstructured places

Sense of Belonging and Racial Trauma

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● Minoritized students might wonder if, given their experiences with racism and the general treatment of racial minorities in the United States, are they welcome in their school?

○ “Do people here value people like me?”

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● Previous racial trauma might cause students to interpret initial difficulties in school as signs that they are in an unwelcoming environment.

○ “I’m not doing well because I don’t belong here”

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● Consistent salience of racial identity might trigger stereotype threat and hinder their performance

Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed

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Recognizes and

validates the

cultural and racial

identity of each

student

Realizes the

prevalence of

trauma in children

Recognizes the

physiological and

relational impact of

trauma

Responds affirmatively with

flexible pedagogy to meet

different learning styles

Disarm Microaggressions

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Microaggressions ● Everyday slights, insults, putdowns, invalidations, and offensive behaviors that nondominant

groups (e.g., people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals) experience in daily interactions with generally well-intentioned people

● Are also delivered environmentally through social media, educational curriculum, TV programs, mascots, monuments, and other offensive symbols

We can all disarm microaggressions by using Micro-Interventions ● Everyday words or deeds, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicates to targets

of microaggressions ○ Validation of their experiential reality○ Value as a person○ Affirmation of their racial or group identity○ Support and encouragement○ Reassurance that they are not alone

Sue et al. (2019)

24Sue et al. (2019)

Using Social Emotional Learning to Support Students Suffering From Racial Trauma

Transformative Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

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A process through which students and teachers build strong, respectful relationships founded on an appreciation of similarities and differences.

School Staff and Transformative SEL

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To promote social-emotional learning in at risk students, it is important for educators to also partake in their own SEL development. SEL can aid in the teacher forming more genuine connections and making empathetic decisions.

Questionnaires

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Cultural Ecology Stress Level, Efficacy, and ConfidencePerceptions of Student Behaviors

Finding a Sense of Belonging with the Transformative SEL Approach

Using the Transformative SEL approach can help students who feel excluded by the school community, as well as assist in the formation of bonds and understanding through explicit discussion of self-identity and its impacts on worldview and personal experiences.

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● How am I affirming my students’ identities, drawing on their lived experiences, and addressing their urgent needs?

● How am I acknowledging and supporting students’ emerging understanding of oppression as well as its emotional toll?

● How do I encourage and provide opportunities for students to engage in developmentally appropriate and community- connected civic and political activities or projects?

Reflective Questions to Consider when Implementing SEL for Students Experiencing Racial Trauma

How to be Anti-Racist

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School Staff Professionals

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The MSW@USC, the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California.

At the Micro level

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When thinking about a racial incident you experienced:

Who was I in the situation, how did or didn’t I contribute and why? What did I leave with?

When connecting with your personal history:

What values was I taught and which values have changed over time? What values do I want to have?

When considering power and position:

What different decisions can I make and why? What is my sphere of influence? How can I facilitate

change?

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When seeking direction for change:

How can I grow in this area? Why do I feel in opposition to a new perspective?

When identifying opportunities for learning:

What can I learn from others? What can I learn about my impact on others?

At the Micro level

At the Mezzo Level

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QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF AND OTHERS

● What can I learn from the other people in the room?

● How can we establish a safe, nonjudgmental environment?

● How can we create a solution-based space to foster dialogue?

● What effect do I have on the people around me?

● What experiences can we reflect on together?

At the Macro Level

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QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT ORGANIZATIONS OR SYSTEMS

● What are the values of this organization or group?

● Who benefits from the structure of this organization?

● What influence do I have that I can leverage for good?

● Who is marginalized or shut out by the structure of this organization?

● What processes can we change to be more equitable and accessible?

Disarm Microaggressions

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To Conclude

Reflect on one’s bias's

Immerse oneself in the literature

Creating a safe environment

Engage, Don’t Avoid

Create Opportunities

Questions, Comments, & Concerns

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Leslie Quijada (she/her)Leslie.Quijada1@marist.edu

Liza Matula (she/her)Liza.Matula1@marist.edu

Natia Tonge (she/her)Natia.Tonge1@marist.edu

Emily Cazer (she/they)Emily.Cazer1@marist.edu

References

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