We are pleased to share an article entitled “Molding Counterhegmonic Armor ~ The first step on the path to joy and liberation“ written by Janet Stickmon.
WHAT IS COUNTER-HEGEMONY?
According to Theodore H. Cohn, “a counterhegemony is an alternative ethical view of society that poses a challenge to the dominant bourgeois-led view.”
Hegemony is the system of dominant norms, practices, values, ethics and beliefs that reinforce the supremacy of – and serve to privilege and benefit – certain groups (e.g. white, male, upper/middle class, Christian, heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied), while marginalizing other groups and creating an inequitable society. Counterhegemony opposes the status quo and seeks to critique or dismantle hegemonic power. Counterhegemonic armor is a shield that not only protects those belonging to marginalized groups from the harm caused by the inequities of the hegemony, but also nourishes, strengthens and rejuvenates them.
Years ago, when my daughter was small, I was deeply frustrated with the challenges of affirming and nurturing her beauty and intelligence as a Black child against a backdrop of anti-blackness. I was writing To Black Parents Visiting Earth at the time, and I remember writing, “Molding counterhegemonic armor for a 6-year old child – making sure it is small and light enough for her to wear – is some kind of sick, warped task Black parents perform daily without exploding.”
Today, I still think about this concept of molding counterhegemonic armor within the context of parenthood, but I also reflect upon what this means in the context of my professional life and the paradox of it feeling both impossible and necessary at the same time.
I am a wellness coach, consultant and professor of Ethnic Studies. I also proudly identify as Blackapina – a biracial woman of Black and Filipino American descent. I work with professionals of color from all fields to help them take steps toward healing their racial battle fatigue and reconnecting with joy.
Considering the health implications of racial battle fatigue, stewarding the path toward healing and beyond means helping clients mold counterhegemonic armor that is strong and durable enough to withstand the multiple blows of racial microaggressions and macroaggressions, while also being soft and flexible enough to be nourishing and life-giving.
RACIAL BATTLE FATIGUE
My clients range from those in crisis and at the lowest point in their lives to those who feel a bit unclear or stagnant and just need some direction to help them gain clarity and get their lives back on track. Some are better than others at trying to take care of themselves, but they may experience guilt while doing so. Many of my clients being leaders in their communities are far better at nurturing others than nurturing themselves.
What they all have in common is the firsthand knowledge of how the weight of racism-related stress can take a toll on their emotional and physical well-being. What they also share is the feeling of having this weight lifted from their shoulders when they realize there is a name for what they are experiencing: racial battle fatigue. Racial battle fatigue is a term coined by Dr. William A. Smith that “addresses the physiological, psychological and behavioral strain exacted on racially marginalized and stigmatized groups and the amount of energy they expend coping with and fighting against racism.”
When a person of color faces racial microaggressions, one experiences the three intertwined stress responses listed above: physiological (e.g., teeth grinding, difficulty sleeping, teeth grinding, chest pain, chronic illnesses), psychological (anxiety, worry, hypervigilance, fear) and behavioral (withdrawal from others, high effort coping, quickness to argue).
Essentially, racial microaggressions and macroaggressions cause racism-related stress and racial trauma which lead to racial battle fatigue. This is far more than just exhaustion or burnout; racial battle fatigue speaks to the cumulative impact that dealing with racial microaggressions and macroaggressions have on one’s health.
Racism-related stress and racial trauma have a devastating impact on communities of color. Truly, if we want to bring an end to racial battle fatigue, white supremacy – and how it shows up in various institutional structures, policies and practices, as well as in the behavior of white people and people of color – must continue to be confronted and dismantled.
But of course, we, as people of color, can’t wait for white supremacy to be nonexistent before we start to heal our wounds. Especially not now. We must be proactive about healing our racial battle fatigue so we can live a life filled with love, joy and meaning.
As coaches of color, we must be conscious of how racial battle fatigue can show up in our clients’ lives and provide spaces that value and prioritize self-care, while recognizing how systems of oppression impact our well-being. Within such spaces, coaches of color can raise their clients’ awareness about how routinely fighting against microaggressions and macroaggressions related to race (as well as other social categories such as gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, language and immigration status) gradually chisels away at their mental and physical health. It affects their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about the possibilities available to them in their personal and professional lives.
Giving our clients such spaces can help them identify the connection between years of navigating toxic environments and how that toxicity manifests itself in their health.
Whether it shows up as ongoing worry and anxiety, hypervigilance, chronic headaches, difficulty sleeping, teeth-grinding, fist-clenching, imposter syndrome, high-effort coping, constant colds and flus, chest pain, gastrointestinal problems or various chronic illnesses, it’s important to create the space for deep reflection and sharing so clients can experience the relief of knowing they are not alone, particularly within a group coaching setting.
FINDING JOY
Going through the process of naming one’s racial battle fatigue raises the health effects of racism-related stress to the level of consciousness so clients can begin to release it, taking steps to either eliminate the stressor or set boundaries as they work toward long-term solutions that create distance from harmful sources of stress.
This allows them to redirect their focus and make room for what they want, so they can place energy where their joy is. But what exactly is joy? It is the feeling you get from experiencing something that brings you pleasure. Joy makes your eyes light up and your spirit smile.
Centering joy in life is necessary. We don’t need to wait for joy to fall into our lap or wait until all the work is done before we deem ourselves worthy of doing something we enjoy (i.e. the “work hard, play hard” adage). Nor should joy be viewed as a luxury or a privilege for the few. Centering joy in our lives is an essential part of our health and well-being, allowing us to improve our quality of life, live longer, and move beyond healing by embracing an abundance mindset. It’s how we experience our greatest freedom. Our liberation lies where our joy resides.
The practice of centering joy has two components:
- SELF-CARE: The basics of healthy living (healthy diet, good hydration, good sleep, physical activity, etc.).
- TREATING JOY AS A DAILY VITAMIN: Consciously integrating fun, play and leisure into one’s life.
When coaches equip their clients with the tools to center joy in their lives (while also modeling this behavior by centering joy in their own lives), they are empowering their clients to nourish their hearts, minds, bodies and spirits. They are teaching them to do far more than simply carve out space and time for joy; they are teaching them to center and prioritize joy in their lives, as an essential part of their health and well-being.
As clients practice the art of centering joy, they are forming new habits which will ultimately lead to a new lifestyle. In the process, it’s crucial for them to take care of their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs so they don’t undermine the development of new healthy, life-giving habits. Taking care of one’s thoughts can be achieved through a variety of practices including meditation, journaling, and other mindfulness practices. Engaging in such practices helps support and reinforce the new habits and behaviors one seeks to develop and retain.
When coaches guide and accompany their clients along a path of healing (and beyond), starting with naming one’s racial battle fatigue to releasing it and making space for joy to finally practicing the art of centering joy in one’s life (by engaging in self-care and taking their joy vitamins), they are teaching their clients how to mold a counterhegemonic armor that grants them protection from the systemic forces that wear down their mental and physical health AND offers them the tenderness of self-compassion and the vitality of joy, allowing them to restore their health and live more vibrant, fulfilling lives.
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