“Flashback to a War Zone”: A Qualitative Analysis of Black Women’s Experiences during the Racial Pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic in 2020 commenced a particularly turbulent era of racial unrest, social injustice, and violence toward Black women. Drawing from Black feminist and intersectionality theories, this qualitative inquiry explored Black women’s experiences of racism and sexism during the racial pandemic. Two hundred forty-one Black women shared their narratives and reflections. The analysis revealed two major themes: (a) racialized violence and harassment (e.g., stereotypes, dominance) and (b) their psychological consequences (e.g., anxiety, depression, racial trauma). Clinical implications are offered to support and empower Black women.

Keywords:

• Black women
• gendered racism
• harassment
• violence
• black feminism
• intersectionality
• mental health

Acknowledgements

The first author acknowledges funding from the American Association of University Women for Postdoctoral Research Leave. The second author acknowledges funding from the Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship and the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

For inquiries about data availability, please contact the corresponding author for details.