Confronting Racism

This book proposes a comprehensive approach to confronting racism through a foundational framework as well as practical strategies to correct and reverse the course of the past and catalyze the stalled efforts of the present. It will do so by focusing on those specific aspects of law and legal theory that intersect with psychological research and practice. In Part I, the historical and current underpinnings of racial injustice and the obstacles to combating racism are introduced. Part II examines the documented psychological and emotional effects of racism, including race-based traumatic stress. In Part III, the authors analyze the application of forensic mental health assessment in addressing race-related experiences and present a legal and policy framework for reforming institutional and organizational policies. Finally, in part IV the authors advocate for a close, collaborative approach among legal and mental health professionals and their clients to seek redress for racial discrimination. Confronting Racism provides a framework for legal, mental health, and other related social science professionals and leaders to acknowledge and act on the harmful aspects of our societal systems.

Robert T. Carter, PhD, is professor of psychology and education at Teachers college, Columbia University. He is also a faculty member of Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Thomas D. Scheuermann, MA, JD, serves on the Graduate Faculty of Oregon State University, College of Liberal Arts, where he teaches courses in legal issues in higher education, and American higher education history.

1 An Introduction to Racism and What It Means to Confront It; Part 1 What Do We Know About the History of Racial Injustice? Historical and Current Underpinnings; 2 Historical and Contemporary Obstacles to Combating Racism; 3 Why Legal Redress Has Been So Difficult; 4 Undoing Civil Rights: Two Steps Forward, One and a Half Steps Back; Part 2 Racism Hurts: Psychological and Emotional Costs; 5 The Harm of Encounters with Racial Discrimination; 6 Reconceptualizing Racism and Presenting a Theory of Race-Based Traumatic Stress; 7 Measuring Race-Based Traumatic Stress Injury as Legally Actionable Emotional Distress; Part 3 Where Do We Go from Here? A Model for Legal Redress; 8 Forensic Assessment of Race-Based Traumatic Stress; 9 A Legal Framework for Confronting Racism: Framework and Reforms for Law, Policy, Practice; 10 Applying the Framework: Confronting Racism and Advocating for Legal Reform; Part 4 Integrating Mental Health and the Law; 11 Mental Health Evaluations: Race-Related Mental Health Standards and Practices; 12 Integrating the Law and Mental Health: Collaborating to Confront Racism