Collective trauma from slavery still endures?

 

Dr. Joy DeGruy describes Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome as the lasting, collective trauma resulting from centuries of slavery and dehumanization, which African Americans continue to experience and unknowingly pass down to future generations. You can feel it. The south and the north. From the river to the sea.

She , the author in question, illustrates this with a social example: at a school event, a Black parent praises a white parent’s child, and the white parent proudly accepts the compliment while also praising the Black parent’s child, who is even more advanced. 

Instead of acknowledging the praise, the Black parent dismisses it, mentioning a frustrating experience with the child. 

DeGruy explains that this reaction originates from slavery, when enslaved parents would downplay their children’s abilities to shield them from slave owners who might exploit or sell them.

In her book, DeGruy explores how key institutions, science, medicine, politics, law, religion, and education , justified the contradiction between Western ideals of humanity and the brutal treatment of enslaved Africans and Native Americans. 

To resolve this moral conflict, these societies dehumanized non-European peoples, rationalizing their oppression.

DeGruy argues that slavery’s abolition did not erase its deep psychological and social impacts. Recognizing the historical roots of this trauma is essential to breaking cycles of inherited distress and preventing its continuation. By fostering “cultural preparation for the future,” as she calls it, society can work toward healing and ultimately overcoming Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome.

"“cultural preparation for the future,” can help eliminate post-traumatic slave syndrome."

-Alex Chasick, a freelance writer living in New Orleans, is a 2005 graduate of Tulane University.

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References:

The book by Dr. Joy DeGruy is titled Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (2005).

-ER