![]() Since that time, Americans of all ethnic backgrounds have been inculcated and immersed in a fabricated (but effective) system of race “hierarchy,” where light-skin privilege still dramatically affects the likelihood of succeeding in American society. The systematic dehumanization of African slaves was the initial trauma, explains Leary, and generations of their descendents have borne the scars. Leary adapts our understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to propose that African Americans today suffer from a particular kind of intergenerational trauma: Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS). Leary, who teaches social work at Portland State University, traces the way that both overt and subtle forms of racism have damaged the collective African-American psyche – harm manifested through poor mental and physical health, family and relationship dysfunction, and self-destructive impulses. ![]() ![]() Joy DeGruy Leary in her new book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. ![]() No one can be truly liberated while living under the weight of oppression, argues Dr. ![]()
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