Black Americans’ Racism-Based Traumatic Stress Reactions Following the January 6 Capitol Insurrection

Abstract

When insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Black Americans were especially affected by the racial implications of the attack. Guided by research on vicarious institutional racism, researchers sought to understand how Black Americans reacted to and coped with racism-based stress following the Capitol insurrection. Six focus groups were held with Black Americans living in the DC metropolitan area at the time of the attack. The research team generated the following themes using reflexive thematic analysis: beliefs about White privilege, psychological trauma reactions, racial trauma symptoms, and adaptive coping strategies. Participants described experiencing anger, anxiety, desensitization, powerlessness, and distrust following perceptions of the criminal justice system’s disparate response to the January 6th riot in juxtaposition to Black Lives Matter protests. Participants discussed actions to combat institutional racism, namely, through neighborhood cohesion and ethnic-racial socialization practices. Findings on Black Americans’ emotional, cognitive, and adaptive reactions to the Capitol insurrection supported the racism-based traumatic stress model. Policy implications for reducing racial disparities in policing and supporting Black mental health are provided.