If you live in the USA, NoireTV now showing nationwide on Verizon Fios on channel 269. Press 269 on your remote control.NoireTV now on Verizon Fios Channel 269. Press 269 on your remote control. Follow us on Instagram@noiretvafricaand on Facebook ... www.facebook.com/caspennoire
As a woman of colour, racial gaslighting has been a painful experience that many people like me have had to deal with at some point in our lives.
You may already be familiar with the term gaslighting, which is a form of psychological abuse.
This was defined after the 1944 film Gaslight, a thriller about a young woman whose husband slowly tries to convince her she's going insane.
However, racial gaslighting is related specifically to psychological abuse surrounding racism.
Racial gaslighting often comes about when a victim is led to doubt and question their own sense of reality with regard to racism, says Seattle University's Angelique Davis, who's carried out a lot of research on the subject.
"Abusers will make them question their own judgement through victim blaming, policing their tone of voice, denial, dismissiveness and manipulation."
Angelique says that some of the techniques used to racially gaslight include: countering someone's memory of events, withholding "understanding" or refusing to listen, conveniently "forgetting" or denying that something happened, playing down a person's feelings as unimportant or irrational, diverting to focus on credibility of what someone is saying and victim blaming.
'I will not be conflicted into compromising my identity'
CONTRIBUTOR IMAGE
I remember being called derogatory names by a man in Glasgow because of the colour of my skin.
"Go back to your own country," he shouted, along with other statements suggesting I don't belong in Britain.
When I spoke to a friend that night about the incident, she questioned whether the person was really racist or had "other issues" that may have led him to act the way he did.
"I wouldn't worry too much," my friend said. "It's probably an isolated incident. I don't think racism exists anymore really."
She probably felt it would reassure me but racism does exist and it's people like me that have to bear the brunt of it.
"One comment I hear often is 'I don't think that was racist,' which again questions the victim, and also invalidates the victim. Both of these instances are a form of trauma," says trauma therapist Diana Anzaldua.
Speaking on the Black Lives Matter protests, Diana says, "we're hearing comments like, 'if you protested more peacefully, more people would listen.' This comment is essentially blaming the victim based on race."
My friend's dismissiveness and unwillingness to address the underlying problem is a prime example of racial gaslighting - and it can have implications for a person's mental health.
I remember feeling extremely low after this incident and like I wasn't accepted for being who I am.
It knocked my self-esteem to think that people want me to compromise my identity and be something I'm not.
I will not be conflicted into compromising my identity as a woman of colour or as a Muslim in hijab and change myself to meet the expectations of others.
'I am not allowed to be who I am'
CONTRIBUTOR IMAGE
Filmmaker and art director Ezekixl Akinnewu remembers being racially gaslighted while working in the art sector and being "tone policed" by a colleague for his flamboyant personality and for being "too loud."
"When you are like that around people of different races, they come and say, 'why are you so loud?' And when I say that it is just the way I am, they take it [that] you are being 'aggressive.'"
This is just one example of racial gaslighting that has happened to Ezekixl. He describes feeling like, "I am not allowed to be who I am".
"It made me feel low, unwanted and a foreigner in a country that I call home. It's like you are always reminded to stay in your place if you are a person of colour but nobody should have to feel that they don't belong because of the colour of their skin.
"Being loud in my culture and as an African man is seen as a form of love and trust and where you can be yourself."
'You are left to feel like you are the person with the problem'
CONTRIBUTOR IMAGE
"The environments have always varied, but one thing is for certain that as a black person your thoughts and feelings are rarely listened to or validated by your white counterparts," adds Ica Headlam, founder of We Are Here Scotland.
Ica works with vulnerable teenagers and occasionally he has to challenge young people who use racist or offensive language. In cases like this, Ica says, "usually it's downplayed by your colleagues or you end up engaging in this debate about racism and why it's wrong, which in itself becomes more frustrating.
"Or you are faced with this awkward silence from people who clearly struggle with talking about this with their black colleague. So, you are left to feel like you are the person with the problem."
Five ways to stop racial gaslighting
Inspired by tools from Everyday Racism (a project dedicated to the experiences of racism), here are five ways to stop racial gaslighting:
1. If someone who is BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of colour) shares their experience of racism with you, learn to listen carefully to what they have to say and acknowledge their feelings.
2. Educate yourself on racism and understand the issues related to white privilege.
3. Ensure that you offer support and empathy and don't question a person's lived experiences of racism.
4. Recognise if you have internal defensive responses to racism.
5. Call it out and be an ally to those who have suffered from racism and the forms that it manifests in.
If you recognise that you are being racially gaslighted, Angelique suggests:
￭ Collect and document the evidence. This can include making notes, voice memos, photographs or email.
￭ Reach out to your support networks and have the "did I hear that?" or "did that really happen?" conversation with others present.
￭ Take care of yourself and do things to nurture your wellness. "Racial gaslighting is designed to tear us down, so making sure you stay mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy is of utmost importance," she says.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) walks toward the Senate floor after the Senate stayed in session throughout the night at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Senate approved President Donald Trump’s signature policy bill Tuesday afternoon after a record-breaking 25 hours of negotiations to win over some final Republican holdouts. Key Facts The Senate passed the legislation 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Three Republicans—Sens. Susan Collins, Maine, Rand Paul, Ky., and Thom Tillis, N.C..—voted against the bill. The 887-page “megabill” includes numerous changes to both the House-passed version of the legislation and the initial Senate draft. These are some of the key omissions and additions the Senate negotiated over the weekend and into Tuesday: Cuts to Medicaid cost-sharing :The amendment proposed by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., would have blocked a significant portion of federal Medicaid funding for some ...
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday April 25, 2025. President Donald Trump’s approval rating is down eight points from the start of his term in the latest Economist/YouGov survey that shows Americans largely reject the president’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Timeline July 22 -14 net approval rating: Trump’s approval rating is unchanged from last week in the latest Economist/YouGov survey of 1,729 U.S. adults taken July 18-21 (margin of error 3.4), with 41% approving of his job performance and 55% disapproving, compared to a 49% approval rating and 43% disapproval rating at the start of his term, according to Economist/YouGov polling. An overwhelming majority, 81% of respondents, said the government should release all documents related to its probe into Jeffrey Epstein, while 69% said they believe the government is covering up evidence about Epstein, and 56% disappro...
The Trump administration deported eight migrants from Djibouti to South Sudan on Friday, following a series of fast-moving legal battles and despite warnings from their attorneys that they face the risk of torture, imprisonment, or even death. The deportation went ahead after a federal judge in Massachusetts denied an emergency request by the migrants' lawyers to block their removal. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy wrote that a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the deportations to proceed was “binding” and that the legal arguments before him were “substantially similar” to those already decided. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security praised the decision, stating on social media, “Law and order prevails,” and described the migrants as “barbaric criminals.” The administration had previously blamed “activist judges” for delays in carrying out the deportations. Legal Challenges and Human Rights Concerns The eight migrants, detained in Djibouti for weeks, i...
As a woman of colour, racial gaslighting has been a painful experience that many people like me have had to deal with at some point in our lives.
You may already be familiar with the term gaslighting, which is a form of psychological abuse.
This was defined after the 1944 film Gaslight, a thriller about a young woman whose husband slowly tries to convince her she's going insane.
However, racial gaslighting is related specifically to psychological abuse surrounding racism.
Racial gaslighting often comes about when a victim is led to doubt and question their own sense of reality with regard to racism, says Seattle University's Angelique Davis, who's carried out a lot of research on the subject.
"Abusers will make them question their own judgement through victim blaming, policing their tone of voice, denial, dismissiveness and manipulation."
Angelique says that some of the techniques used to racially gaslight include: countering someone's memory of events, withholding "understanding" or refusing to listen, conveniently "forgetting" or denying that something happened, playing down a person's feelings as unimportant or irrational, diverting to focus on credibility of what someone is saying and victim blaming.
Comments
Post a Comment