Racial Battle Fatigue’s Impact On Black Educators & Our Families

“The first thing he starts with me is about racism and how he believes in the bootstrap kind of idea of everything. And that's what he teaches the students here at the school, and he starts asking me all these questions. And I told him, I said, Jose, you know I'm with NAACP and, you know, I am a member of ACLU.” - Mia Street, Former School Administrator

In recent years, there has been an uptick in Black educator recruitment strategies across Colorado.  With less than 1000 Black Educators in the state, according to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE, 2023), it makes sense that the retention of Black educators would be urgent to school districts.  However, what tends to be missing from recruitment conversations and strategy sessions is a consideration for those Black educators already serving children in classrooms and main offices (Kelly, Gayles & Williams, 2017).  Where are our Black educators going?  Why are they leaving the field of education?

Working in educational institutions can be challenging, especially after COVID-19, the rise of housing and food costs, and the general stress in and out of classrooms and ECE-higher education.  On top of a thick layer of mundane educator stress, educators of Color and Black educators, specifically across the United States, experience forms and manifestations of racism-related stress (Harrell, 2000) within higher education (DeCuir-Gunby, Johnson, Edwards, et al., 2020; Kelly, 2007; Mustaffa,2017) and ECE-12 workplaces (Jay, 2009; Duncan, 2019).  

This particular type of stress can vary depending on the context:

Racism-Related Life Events - These are racialized events that have a beginning and end.  For example, experiencing racism from a parent of one of the children at the school where the guardian then withdraws their child from the school, causing the educator to no longer have contact with the guardian. 

Vicarious Racism Experience - This type of racism happens through observation or report about a situation.  In this same example, another BIPOC educator witnesses the exchange between their colleague and the guardian, where they, too, believe that race was a factor in the way the educator was treated.  

Daily racism microstressor - I don’t believe in any stressor being a microstressor, but I want to honor Dr. Harrell’s work. Daily racism stressors in the education space can look like continual put-downs by colleagues, silence, or lack of solidarity from management when reporting racialized experiences within the workplace.

Chronic contextual stress -  These are system-wide issues, such as unequal distribution of resources and limited opportunities for people of color, which influence their living conditions and quality of life.    For example, the continual promotion of White employees who appear to be less qualified or lack of effort to increase or at least maintain the number of Black educators within the space.  (This may not be racialized for some folks.)

Collective Experiences of Racism - This does not involve witnessing or hearing about a specific incident of racism associated with someone the educator knows.  Instead, it is the broad collection of racism happening to people of that race.  For example, a lack of representation within places of authority within an organization or knowing that, in a general sense, BIPOC preschool educators do not experience equal pay. 

Transgenerational transmission - There must always be a consideration for the history of racism experienced by the group.  The history also shapes the content of the race-related family and community stories that are passed down through the generations that have intragroup and intergroup dimensions.  The history of being an educator in America, especially for Black people, has been tumultuous, with Brown vs. Board causing 40,000 Black educators to be fired from their jobs.  The remaining educators were typically lighter-skinned.  

These displays of racism-related stress impact Black educators emotionally, physiologically, psychologically, and behaviorally.  

Racial Battle Fatigue

“I think that it took me a while to recognize that and get to a point where I was like, okay, I have to go. I realized I was the problem. I was becoming that grouchy teacher that wasn't hanging out with kids. I wasn't sitting down on the floor playing with them as much. I wasn't putting my all into my lesson plans, into my activities, and I just knew that if I stayed, I would be doing the children in my class a disservice.” -Enola Garland, Former ECE Educator

“Racial battle fatigue addresses the physiological, emotional/behavioral, and psychological strain exacted on racially marginalized groups and the amount of energy lost dedicated to coping with racial microaggressions and racism. The concept of racial battle fatigue synthesizes and builds on the extensive discipline-specific research literature and studies of stress responses to racism and its impact on health and coping.” (Smith, 2007)

It can be easy to point to other reasons why Black educators leave.  For example, pay across the country for educators is abysmal.  However, low wages have always been a problem in pink-collar work and are not necessarily the deciding factor as to why they exit.  When reading articles on why BIPOC educators leave the profession, bias is discussed but the depths at which that bias erodes their health and well-being is not published as a critique of our education system (Kim-Sedu, 2022). When thinking about racial battle fatigue, it is important to focus on the energy loss that Black educators and their families experience when combating the six areas of racism-related stress Harrell discusses.  Energy loss and coping have been the main reason why many Black educators that I speak to leave teaching.  Below are some examples of psychological, physiological, and social/emotional responses to racism-related stress:

Examples of Racial Battle Fatigue

Stereotype threat

John Henryism - high-effort coping with difficult psychological stressors 

Increased commitment to spirituality

Overeating or loss of appetite

Impatience

Quickness to argue

Procrastination

Changes in close family relationships 

Apathy

Constant anxiety and worrying

Increased swearing and complaining 

Inability to sleep

Sleep broken by haunting, conflict-specific dreams

Loss of self-confidence

Difficulty in thinking coherently or being able to articulate (confirming stereotype)

Crossover and Spillover: From the Schoolhouse to Our Homes

“And I will never forget that first ER visit. All my tests came out normal, and I spoke to the doctor. I said, I'm happy that all my tests came out normal; what do you attribute the chest pain to? I knew it wasn't in my head. He looked at me, and he said, so, how's work? Oh, and I wept. It was instant. And he knew exactly what question to ask me. As soon as he asked me that question, I just burst into tears.” - Janet Stickmon, Ethnic Studies Professor, Author, Wellness Consultant and Coach

Understanding the effects of racism-related stress on the Black educator is incomplete without examining how the community, personal, and family unit is affected.  Racism in the school institution can be experienced in various ways, negatively impacting the Black educator and, consequently, the Black educator’s family. Those who experience racial battle fatigue are acutely aware that their responses spill over and cross over from the workplace to their homes. Trapped within our bodies, racism-related stress and racial battle fatigue must find an outlet, which, unfortunately for most, is not productive.

The Crossover (Westman, 2001) of racial battle fatigue happens when the racial battle fatigue responses the Black educator experiences are carried out of the workplace.  This could look like thinking about a particular racialized event happening to educators across the country on the way home from work or the inability to sleep due to overthinking about an experience with a non-Black administrator. 

Spillover occurs when a racialized incident or emotions from the workplace extend beyond its boundaries and affect family members, close friends, community members, and others. In the context of Black educators, this might manifest as sending a text to a partner or friend during the workday to discuss a racially charged encounter with a colleague, hoping to find solace or humor in discussing the racial tensions they've experienced.  It can also involve coming home and withdrawing from family activities, causing strain within the family dynamic compared to the past when they actively participated.  For other Black educators, spillover entails protecting the children they are helping to raise by sharing aspects of their work life and words of wisdom (Mosley-Howard & Evans, 2000). This strategy is common amongst Black families as these stories provide an early defense mechanism that children can use to identify racism in their lives.   

So Now What?

“People try to guilt me, people talk, oh no, we need you to stay. You know who needs me? My kids need me. They need a mother who is whole; that's what they need a mother who is happy, who is not stressed out. That's what they need.” - Ronda Haynes-Belen, Former Family Liaison

It can be easy to look at Human Resources or Equity Departments as the spaces where solutions for the end of racism-related stress and racial battle fatigue in the workplace can be found.  Unfortunately, based on data collected from the Black teaching perspective, this is not necessarily the case ( Pizarro, M., & Kohli, R., 2020; D’Amico, Pawlewicz, Earley, et al., 2017).  “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” a quote by poet and mother scholar Audre Lorde succinctly explains why looking at ourselves as the first line of defense against harm will always be a good idea.  Black educators must look beyond “the district” or “department” as the place that will provide peace in the workplace. 

What would it mean for Black educators to put their refuge from racial battle fatigue into their own hands, accepting once and for all that they are in charge of their bodies?  Dr. William Smith, the coiner of racial battle fatigue, in a 2021 interview on The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators, made five suggestions for combatting racial battle fatigue:

Make sure that your home is a place of refuge from racial battle fatigue.

Eat healthy foods and exercise. Connect with nature.

Develop or reconnect with Black consciousness.

Pick your battles.  Take care of your emotional health. 

Leave traditional education spheres in exchange for spaces that reflect Black love and excellence.

In Smith’s list of recommendations, there is no mention of creating an equity task force, or book club for the folks in our buildings. There is no mention of adding extra work to work plates at all.   Instead, his suggestions allow educators to reflect on what they can do for themselves.  Dr. Smith suggests that Black educators remember their power and utilize it for their healing and wellness.  His ideas would ask them to consider how their surroundings outside the workplace must be a sanctuary. 

Dr. Sioban Flowers, a stress and burnout expert, and licensed therapist, in her 2023 episode on the same podcast, Mind-Body Wellness Practices with Dr. Sioban Flowers, provided strategies she suggests to her clients who are experiencing racial battle fatigue and, at this moment, need only to focus on themselves.

How can I support myself? How can I encourage myself? 

Think about your values “What are your top three to five values and what do those values look like in your real life, in your day-to-day? What do you see yourself doing that is representative of those values, and then realistically, how often can you tap  into that?”  Focusing on our values helps us anchor to a part of who we are that is at our core and does not change daily.  

It is important to tap into the mind-body connection.

Remember that wellness is your birthright. 

For those interested in walking beside Black educators in their desire to be well, Janet Stickmon an ethnic studies professor and wellness consultant and coach has outlined strategies that could, if taken seriously, be a way for school districts and higher education institutions to retain Black educators:

"Sometimes, the way in which people may affirm a Black educator is by giving them more work. Granted, it's wonderful. It's flattering to be given the space to have a greater influence on one's colleagues and so on and so forth.  But if the reward is, more work we do have to think about what kind of impact this is this having on that very faculty member. What kind of additional weight, additional invisible labor, is being laid upon the shoulders of this faculty member? And if this opportunity is being opened up making sure that there's compensation, then not just expecting it to be done out of the goodness of the faculty member's heart,  that there has to be some compensation." 

Solutions to combat racial battle fatigue cannot rely solely on institutional structures, such as HR or equity departments. Instead, Black educators must take charge of their well-being and find refuge from racial battle fatigue within themselves and their communities.  Support from school districts and higher education institutions can play a significant role in retaining Black educators by acknowledging the additional weight and labor placed on them and ensuring fair compensation. Providing meaningful support in terms of workload and emotional well-being can make a significant difference in the retention of Black educators.

In the end, addressing racial battle fatigue and its impact on Black educators and their families requires a collective effort from individuals, institutions, and communities. It is a call to recognize the importance of well-being, self-care, and creating spaces that celebrate Black excellence in education. By taking these steps, we can begin to build a more inclusive and equitable educational system for all.

References

D'amico, D., Pawlewicz, R. J., Earley, P. M., & McGeehan, A. P. (2017). Where are all the Black teachers? Discrimination in the teacher labor market. Harvard Educational Review, 87(1), 26-49.

DeCuir-Gunby, J. T., Johnson, O. T., Womble Edwards, C., McCoy, W. N., & White, A. M. (2020). African American professionals in higher education: Experiencing and coping with racial microaggressions. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(4), 492-508.

Duncan, K. E. (2019). “They hate on me!” Black teachers interrupting their white colleagues’ racism. Educational Studies, 55(2), 197-213.

Harrell, S. P. (2000). A multidimensional conceptualization of racism‐related stress: Implications for the well‐being of people of color. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70(1), 42-57.

Jay, M. (2009). Race‐ing through the school day: African American educators' experiences with race and racism in schools. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(6), 671-685.

Kelly, B. T., Gayles, J. G., & Williams, C. D. (2017). Recruitment without retention: A critical case of Black faculty unrest. Journal of Negro Education, 86(3), 305-317.

Kohli, R., & Pizarro, M. (2016). Fighting to educate our own: Teachers of color, relational accountability, and the struggle for racial justice. Equity & Excellence in Education, 49(1), 72-84.

Mosley-Howard, G. S., & Evans, C. B. (2000). Relationships and contemporary experiences of the African American family: An ethnographic case study. Journal of Black Studies, 30(3), 428-452.

Mustaffa, J. B. (2017). Mapping violence, naming life: A history of anti-Black oppression in the higher education system. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 30(8), 711-727.

Pizarro, M., & Kohli, R. (2020). “I stopped sleeping”: Teachers of color and the impact of racial battle fatigue. Urban Education, 55(7), 967-991.

No name. (2023, November 1).School/District Staff Statistics. Colorado Department of Education.https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/staffcurrent

Westman, M. (2001). Stress and strain crossover. H

Dr. Asia Lyons is the founder and lead designer at Lyons Educational Consulting (LEC) LLC.  In partnership with communities, organizations, and schools, Lyons Educational Consulting supports co-creating truly inclusive environments that assist youth toward self-actualization.

Dr. Lyons was a K-12 educator in the Denver Metro Area and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado – Denver School of Education and Human Development. In addition, she has served as the school partner specialist working with schools and other non-profits across the Denver Metro Area to provide communities with resources to help close the access gap for Black children and children of Color.