Abstract
Descendants of Africans Enslaved in the United States (DAEUS), who lived in the South prior to 1965 and experienced decades of legalized discrimination, were found to have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Arline Geronimus (1992) coined the term “weathering” to acknowledge the accumulation of racial trauma stored within the body over extended periods of time. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study, aligned by the tenets of Critical Race Theory, explores how continuous racial trauma impacted DAEUS citizens’ well-being and trust in the COVID-19 vaccine. Three Group Experiential Themes emerged during this study, all connected with the experiences of nine DAEUS participants between 69–84 years of age: (a) The Impact of Dehumanizing Experiences, (b) The Impact of Long-Term Racialized Healthcare, and (c) COVID-19 as The Perfect Storm. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are provided to encourage trauma-informed practices on behalf of the DAEUS population.
Recommended Citation
Mingo, Taryne M. and Haynes, Kiauhna
(2025)
""The Perfect Storm": Weathering Black Racial Trauma Across the Lifespan and the Impact of COVID-19,"
Adultspan Journal: Vol. 24:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33470/2161-0029.1182
Available at:
https://mds.marshall.edu/adsp/vol24/iss1/3
