Identity-Based Trauma
While the resources provided below are identity-based, we recognize that the intersectionality of identity is nuanced and multidimensional and that you may find yourself represented in more than one category.
- East and South Asian
- Black and African American
- Latinx & Hispanic
- LGBTQIA2s+
- Native American & Indigenous
Racial trauma
Racial trauma is the result of ongoing exposure to racial stressors, including discrimination, bias, racism, violence and other forms of oppression and abuse that create an environment where individuals feel unsafe simply because of the color of their skin or racial identity.
CAPS recognizes that racial trauma may present itself in a variety of ways, including poor concentration, depression, anxiety, hypervigilance, negative self-image and low self-esteem. While these symptoms can impact individuals differently, we recognize that symptoms of racial trauma can have a significant impact on overall well-being.
Here are some helpful resources to learn more about racial trauma and its impact.
Resources
- How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Dr. Robin DiAngelo
- Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
- The Bridge Called My Back, Writings by Radical Women of Color edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
- An Indigenous people's history of the United States By Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz