Merriam-Webster defines gaslighting as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”
If this is not the perfect articulation of what the racial justice movement is experiencing right now, we don’t know what is.
When we think of the line of reasoning the Supreme Court used to declare affirmative action unconstitutional – that America is a race neutral, color-blind society – it is the textbook definition of gaslighting given that we’ve libraries full of research and countless lived experiences to prove the premise of “race neutrality” as unequivocally false.
But this sort of gaslighting around racism is quintessential to the American experience and one of the key tactics keeping racism alive, despite the progress made.
Let’s consider what Simply Psychology identifies as nine types of gaslighting and pair them with some of the most reliable anti-racial justice rhetoric we hear.
From the founding of this nation, the powers-that-be have perfected the art of denial when it comes to issues of racism, insulting our intelligence and instituting all sorts of Jedi mind tricks to cause us to second guess what we know to be true.
It is important that movement leaders understand that what we’re witnessing is out of the same old playbook. Whether it’s attempts to sanitize history books or the new batch of slavery apologists who’d have us believe that “slavery wasn’t so bad”, such racial backlash is designed to distract from the truth and the promise of a fair and just society.
At Black Innovation Alliance, we’ve a national community of Black leaders who have committed their lives and careers to economic justice. Learn more about our work and the work of our members at blackinnovationalliance.com.
The Clap Back Campaign is a 90-day campaign designed to galvanize, mobilize and inspire, for the ultimate purpose of building true collective power, capable of driving lasting social change.
If you’re tired of being gaslit on the role of racism in America, join the campaign today. We must build a sustained resistance that allows us to “push back” on the powers that have committed to “rolling back” the clock.
