Proceedings of the 10th International Academic Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Assessing the Impact of Racial Trauma
Gabriela Macera-DiFilippo
ABSTRACT:
The death of George Floyd in May 2020 marked a pivotal moment in the fight against systemic racism, sparking global protests and prompting widespread conversations about racial injustice. The term “racial trauma” started to be discussed more, especially among the African American community in the US. In schools, Floyd’s death reinforced the urgent need to assess and address racial trauma experienced by students of color. Many children face the psychological toll of racism, which can manifest in behavioral, emotional, and academic challenges. Schools and mental health professionals, play a critical role in creating supportive environments where racial trauma is acknowledged and assessments that are used for culturally sensitive assessments. This research study hopes to provide an analysis of the ongoing racial trauma of children of color in schools and the importance of assessing for racial trauma. Impactful and appropriate assessment methods will be presented to all school professionals to use in order to see “the full picture” of a child. These assessment methods are to be used in different settings when assessing children. The assessments mentioned in this research have been studied to prove validity and reliability. These tools will attempt to provide mental health professionals with the tools to screen and provide guidance based on unequivocal, unbiased methods for helping these children.
keywords: racial trauma, assessment methods, school children, epigenetics, historical trauma