Advice on coping with racism amid protests of police violence after George Floyd’s death

George Floyd’s death is a traumatic experience for black people all across America and the world. But it’s retraumatizing, too, because black people deal with racism every day in big and seemingly small ways. We asked community organizers how that manifests itself in their daily lives and in the work that they do.

“So many people don’t want you to win. It really is so upsetting. I really hate it,” says youth organizer Emily Wilson. She’s been part of 482Forward, a group fighting for educational justice in Detroit, since she was in eighth grade.

Naomi Wilson (no relation to Emily Wilson) is an activist scholar who works with Emily and the youth collective. She’s been a community organizer for 10 years. “This moment is reminding me of at the height of my activism in college, how much I was depressed. And I never talked about it,” she says. “I find myself saying yes to everything. And I’m basically just burning myself out.”

Naomi Wilson and Emily Wilson deal with structural racism head-on on a daily basis as social justice advocates. But black people have to deal with racism every day: people crossing the street when they see you coming, people wanting to touch your hair in the office, or being stereotyped as the Black History Month ambassador because you’re the only black student in your class.

We asked Rheeda Walker, author of “The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health,” and DeAnna Harris-McKoy, a licensed therapist and professor, for five helpful tips on how to cope when all these instances of racism add up. Jump ahead to the noted time stamp if you want to go straight to one of these tips.

Be aware of your body (2:46)

“I think it’s helpful to know what your body feels like when it is calm,” says Harris-McKoy. “If you’re engaging in your familiar coping skill but you’re still feeling exhausted, if you potentially still have some negative thoughts — realizing that, ’Okay, so this coping skill is not working in this context, which means I may have to pivot.’”

Don’t believe the ‘shoulds’ (3:16)

“We ’should’ on ourselves so much. ’I should be out there protesting. I should be able to contribute in some meaningful way to this specific organization,’” says Walker. “And we put all of this pressure on ourselves, and it just makes us feel worse. Maybe if you could just take some time, and you’ll feel even better about your contribution tomorrow.”