Dismantling Racism in the United States

As the United States grapples with anti-DEI policies, this book unpacks racism in America through psychological and historical analysis.

Shawn Blue examines the structural foundation and psychological makeup of the transatlantic slave trade, and its formation of a system of racial hierarchy that created and perpetuated multiple biases and stereotypes of Black Americans in contemporary society. Slavery, as an institutional concept, has created systemic inequities that shaped and continue to exert power in American society today. The book unveils the various ways racist ideologies were deliberately constructed to sanction economic, emotional, and physical exploitation of Black Americans. It examines how these stereotypes have been reinforced generationally and how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted continuing racial disparities across the country.

Racism is still evolving as a system of institutions, policies, and societal cultural traditions and beliefs. This book begins to do the hard work of dismantling generations of racialized biases and stereotypes that have oppressed Black Americans. Using a trauma informed approach, this book also offers recommendations for societal systems that create spaces for equitable care and treatment, provide necessary healing interventions for Black Americans, and enforce a commitment to psychological theories that acknowledge the oppressed histories of Black LGBTQIA+ communities. The author highlights that these changes need to occur with a restructuring of the scientific research field and support from the practices of bystander and ally training, advocacy, and activism. The book concludes with a reflection on how Americans can begin to embrace this country's sullied past in considering a future that celebrates the diversity that created it.