Does trauma really affect Black men? Yes, it does.
As Black men, we have normalized abnormal behaviors and living environments to such a degree that we often fail to recognize when we are experiencing trauma or living in a traumatic state. For far too long, we have not addressed our trauma – let alone acknowledged that they are traumas.
Socially, in the Black community, we have been taught to “man up,” “stop being soft,” and “get over it.” These messages and so many more are drilled into us from an early age, leading us to suppress our emotions. We are conditioned to push through pain, to ignore signs of distress, and to carry burdens that are far too heavy for us to bear alone.
From a young age, we are taught that being vulnerable is a sign of weakness. As a result, many Black men feel that they must bear the weight of the world on their shoulders without asking for help or even acknowledging the toll it takes on our mental and emotional well-being.
This is a deeply ingrained mindset – one that has been passed down from generation to generation, often without question. It becomes so hard to distinguish what’s normal from what’s actually damaging.
Moreover, there are generational traumas that have been passed down since slavery. Many people like to believe that we are so far removed from slavery that its impact no longer affects us today – but it absolutely does. We not only deal with modern-day trauma but also the trauma of the past.
Living in poor neighborhoods, coming from single-parent homes, and witnessing the abuse of our people have all become so normalized that it is what many of us know and accept as a way of life. This historical trauma has manifested in our communities in many ways. It is present in the way we perceive authority figures, in the disproportionate number of Black men incarcerated, in the way we are policed and treated as suspects rather than citizens. It is present in our health outcomes, in the constant stress we face just to survive, in the burden of always having to prove our worth and our humanity to a society that often views us as less than.
These pressures create a cycle of trauma that many Black men are born into–without ever being given the tools or the space to process it. The trauma we face is not just the result of individual experiences but also of systemic oppression that spans centuries. The constant barrage of messages telling us that we don’t belong, that we are lesser, that we are dangerous, that we are expendable – this weighs heavily on our psyche.
To begin understanding whether you are experiencing trauma, you must first know what constitutes a traumatic state or experience. Unfortunately, most of us don’t recognize those signs because they have become part of our norm. Others don’t want to be viewed as victims of something that might diminish their sense of manhood. We’ve internalized the idea that trauma is something only certain people experience – that it’s a weakness, and that Black men should rise above it without letting it show.
But in doing so, we deny ourselves the chance to heal.
Trauma affects not only Black men – it affects us in ways that are unique and often more profound than other men. It has reached a point where we deny that trauma is something that happens to us – but it does. This denial can cause us to become numb to our own pain, leaving us stuck in a cycle of emotional suppression. We may start to act out in unhealthy ways – through anger, addiction, or isolation – because we have not been taught how to cope with our emotions in healthy ways.
Those coping mechanisms are often misunderstood and further stigmatized, which only adds to the cycle of silence and suffering.
But healing is possible.
In order for us to begin healing from these traumas and become survivors, we must first recognize them. Acknowledging that we are experiencing trauma is not a sign of weakness – it is a step toward strength.
I was once someone who didn’t believe in the trauma of being a Black man in America. But I’ve come to realize that it is real, as are my personal traumas. Once I recognized that I had been affected by the weight of these experiences, I was able to take steps toward healing. The road isn’t easy, but it is necessary if we are to break the cycle of trauma and rise to our full potential.
So I challenge all Black men: take a look at your life circumstances and assess if trauma is affecting you. Begin to question what’s been normalized in your life and whether it’s healthy. Let’s stop pretending that everything is fine when it’s not. Let’s stop burying our emotions and start expressing them in healthy, productive ways. Let’s start to heal.
We must stop normalizing abnormal behaviors. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and our communities to confront our traumas head-on. Only by doing so can we start to reclaim our power and begin the process of healing.
We have been taught to endure. Now let us teach ourselves how to heal. Let us redefine what strength truly means – not as the absence of pain, but as the ability to face it and overcome it. Let us show the world that Black men are not just survivors – we are resilient, we are powerful, and we are capable of true healing.