In 1961, James Baldwin was asked about being Black in America. He replied, “to be Black in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” His words capture the emotional toll of living in a society where racial discrimination persists. More than six decades later, that toll can now be measured. The Enduring Shadow of Racism seeks to illuminate the deep psychological impact of these experiences, going beyond emotional responses like rage to reveal how race-based trauma symptoms shape the ways African Americans navigate the political world.

Rather than counting how frequently racism occurs or focusing on general emotional states, the book examines the trauma-like symptoms that emerge from those experiences. While political science often measures feelings like anger or fear as short-term reactions to specific events, social issues, or candidates, this book instead uses clinical indicators of trauma to assess the lasting psychological effects of racism, including intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance. This distinction highlights the difference between fleeting emotional responses and enduring trauma symptoms, revealing racism’s deeper psychological impact on individuals. In doing so, the book introduces a trauma-based framework for understanding the psychological consequences of racism, specifically the ways race-based trauma shapes political beliefs and behavior.

Jas M. Sullivan is Professor of Political Science, Psychology, and African American Studies at Louisiana State University.