Does being African lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

This year began with a seismic shift, which meant most mornings were spent with news of rising death tolls, feelings of frustration and helplessness as I felt my freedoms were being violated, and constantly trying to stay grounded under a blanket of fear of this invisible thing. It took me a while to navigate how to “be” during this time and I am still trying to understand it.

Now, the entire globe has turned its attention to the horrific atrocities that have taken place in the USA. These events are not merely headlines with second-hand accounts of what happened but have been filmed in sound and colour for the whole world to see. The murder of Mr George Floyd sent shockwaves around the world, igniting protests and riots, and it caused the debate of institutional racism and white privilege to overshadow a global health crisis. Similarly, as with the beginning of the year, I started to feel those feelings of frustration and helplessness, and constantly felt the need to stay grounded under a blanket of fear of this invisible thing. It took me a while to navigate how to “be” during this time and I am still trying to understand it. Same feelings – different monster.