In the Black community, the damaging affects of self suppression show up time and time again. The expectation that a person will stay silent or quickly recover from something traumatic creates room for mental illness to thrive. It’s only been about 150 years since slavery ended in this country. The road Black people walk is very different from people who were never subject to institutionalized racism.
For this reason, it is important to remember that a person’s race and upbringing play a huge role in their mental health needs. This is why “culturally competent care,” which is the ability to provide care to people with diverse values, cultures, and beliefs, is so important for mental health. It’s something I never even thought about, until I needed help myself.
The Electoral College was founded 83 years before Black people got the right to vote. It was created as a way to deter the masses from electing a demagogue, which is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.
Now, on December 19, the Electoral College is expected to vote in a man whose popularity is due, in part, to his tenure as a reality TV star. And although some electors have publicly stated that they will snub their state’s “faithless elector” laws that prohibit them from voting against their party, it is quite probable that Trump will be inaugurated and the emboldening of overt racists will continue.
I don’t know if Russia impacted the results of our election. I don’t know if it makes sense to hold Trump personally responsible for racists acting out on the streets. But what I do know is that it’s not healthy to pretend you’re okay with it if you’re not, all in the name of forgiveness.