2 definitions by Ariel William Moore
Racial battle fatigue is a term coined by professor William A. Smith that refers to the cognitive, emotional and physiological effects of being a person of color in environments that are both implicitly and explicitly racist.
Basically, it is the ways that racism has a negative effect on the psychology and physiology of people of color.
Physiological symptoms of RBF: tension headaches, backaches, elevated heartbeat, rapid breathing in anticipation of conflict, upset stomach, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, ulcers, elevated blood pressure. Psychological symptoms of RBF: constant anxiety and worrying, inability to sleep, sleep broken by haunting, conflict-specific dreams, intrusive thoughts and images, loss of self-confidence.
Basically, it is the ways that racism has a negative effect on the psychology and physiology of people of color.
Physiological symptoms of RBF: tension headaches, backaches, elevated heartbeat, rapid breathing in anticipation of conflict, upset stomach, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, ulcers, elevated blood pressure. Psychological symptoms of RBF: constant anxiety and worrying, inability to sleep, sleep broken by haunting, conflict-specific dreams, intrusive thoughts and images, loss of self-confidence.
I can't go to that meeting with them White folks today, I'm struggling with Racial Battle Fatigue
We have to protect our students from Racial Battle Fatigue by connecting them with people who will love and support them
We have to protect our students from Racial Battle Fatigue by connecting them with people who will love and support them
by Ariel William Moore February 14, 2021
Racelighting refers to the process whereby People of Color question their own thoughts and actions due to systematically delivered racialized messages that make them second guess their own lived experiences with racism.
The term was developed by professors Luke Wood and Frank Harris III to represent a unique type of gaslighting experienced in the daily, normalized realities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
When racelighted, People of Color may begin to question their interpretation of reality and begin to wonder if they are being overly sensitive. Racelighting is most commonly seen when Black and other People of Color question being mistreated. The perpetrators’ passionate delivery of innocence and claims of the victim’s misinterpretation can be incredibly convincing.
A common example of this is when a Black student is told, with a sense of surprise, that they are “actually smart.” If this microaggression is brought to the attention of the person who said it, their most common response is to state, with extreme conviction, that the student “misunderstood,” “took their comments out of context,” or is “being too sensitive.” The level of conviction can lead to the student considering if they actually created the problem in this interaction rather than the person who caused the infraction.
The term was developed by professors Luke Wood and Frank Harris III to represent a unique type of gaslighting experienced in the daily, normalized realities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
When racelighted, People of Color may begin to question their interpretation of reality and begin to wonder if they are being overly sensitive. Racelighting is most commonly seen when Black and other People of Color question being mistreated. The perpetrators’ passionate delivery of innocence and claims of the victim’s misinterpretation can be incredibly convincing.
A common example of this is when a Black student is told, with a sense of surprise, that they are “actually smart.” If this microaggression is brought to the attention of the person who said it, their most common response is to state, with extreme conviction, that the student “misunderstood,” “took their comments out of context,” or is “being too sensitive.” The level of conviction can lead to the student considering if they actually created the problem in this interaction rather than the person who caused the infraction.
You need to tell them to stop racelighting you, it's not you, it's them!
I was just racelighted in that meeting, I told them they were mistreating me and their response was to say that I'm taking their comments out of context. That's not true!
We have culture of racelighting in our organization, where we feel like we are losing our own minds and told we are misinterpreting our mistreatment.
I was just racelighted in that meeting, I told them they were mistreating me and their response was to say that I'm taking their comments out of context. That's not true!
We have culture of racelighting in our organization, where we feel like we are losing our own minds and told we are misinterpreting our mistreatment.
by Ariel William Moore February 14, 2021