FaniLab Racial Trauma Research Featured in the Washington Post
On February 16th, The Washington Post published an article highlighting the Fani Lab’s racial trauma research.
“Racism has negatively impacted generations of people, leading to discrimination, lost economic opportunities, racist policing and incarceration, and in many cases, death. But even when the impact of racism is not so apparent or in the headlines, the pernicious effects of racial discrimination and structural racism take a toll on the brain and mental health,” the author, Richard Sima, explains.
The findings from the Fani’s Lab 2021 study on racial discrimination, published in JAMA Psychiatry, were highlighted in the article. In the study, researchers found that Black women who experienced more frequent racial discrimination also experienced subsequent activation in areas of the brain responsible for emotion regulation, fear inhibition, and visual attention. These findings suggest that racial discrimination can lead to increased threat vigilance, self-monitoring, emotion regulation and suppression. These behavioral patterns affect mental health negatively, and can leave Black individuals more vulnerable to problems like PTSD, anxiety and depression.
The study was referenced in order to provide support for emerging racial trauma research. However, this is not the first time that the Fani Lab’s racial trauma research has been referenced. Previously, the research was referenced in The American Prospect, a magazine dedicated to promoting the discussion of American politics and public policy.
As racial trauma research becomes more widely recognized by researchers, there is hope for society to recognize racial trauma for what it is: the detrimental effects of racism that affect both the brain and body. This article is important as it improves public awareness in racial trauma research that will lead to improvements in intervention strategies to address racial trauma in BIPOC communities.
Read The Washington Post article here.
Read the original research article here.