Research Guides: Racial Justice Resources for Activists, Advocates &amp; Allies: Racial Gaslighting

Racial Gaslighting

Racelighting is an act of psychological manipulation where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racial messages that distort their realities and lead them to second-guess themselves. (Racelighting.net)
Racial gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes people of color question their own experiences of racism. (Metro)
Racial gaslighting (v) The political, social, economic and cultural process that perpetuates and normalizes a white supremacist reality through pathologizing those who resist. Racial spectacle (n) Narratives that obfuscate the existence of a white supremacist state power structure. (Davis & Ernst)
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that hinges on creating self-doubt. “I think of gaslighting as trying to associate someone with the label ‘crazy,’” says Paige Sweet, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan who studies gaslighting in relationships and in the workplace. “It’s making someone seem or feel unstable, irrational and not credible, making them feel like what they’re seeing or experiencing isn’t real, that they’re making it up, that no one else will believe them.”
Racial gaslighting also frequently happens in the workplace, particularly in a workplace that is predominantly white. “For women of color, [gaslighting] takes the form of colleagues doubting or outright denying their negative experiences,” write researchers Michelle A. Rodrigues, Ruby Mendenhall and Kathryn B. H. Clancy in a research paper on gaslighting of women of color who work as scientists. This type of gaslighting is also present in diversity initiatives that come off as hollow and not addressing real issues. Initiatives that “center white colleagues’ desire to present a rosy picture of inclusion… serve to gaslight marginalized students and faculty, as they are perpetually told the environment is welcoming and inclusive while their own lived experiences are ignored and denied,” the researchers find. (Forbes)

Racial gaslighting web resources

Five Racial Gaslighters You'll Meet in the Comments Section
Gaslighting in academic medicine: where anti-Black racism lives (Gaynor Watson-Creed)
-Institutional betrayal is a phenomenon in which institutions uphold anti-Black racism by explaining it away as other phenomena, thereby betraying Black members of an organization who bring forth claims of racism in good faith.
-The explaining away of anti-Black racism (for example, by labelling it as interpersonal conflict) can be viewed as a form of gaslighting.
-Gaslighting of individuals, including by organizations to which they belong, can have devastating consequences.
-Health care organizations and medical faculties should seek to understand institutional betrayal as a phenomenon, and to expose its manifestations within the organization.
-Solutions to institutional betrayal include acknowledging its existence, supporting affected members to come forward with claims, acknowledging the pervasive nature of anti-Black racism and supporting bystanders to take action.
How to Distinguish Racelighting From Gaslighting ( J. Luke Wood, Ph.D.)
-Racelighting can be rendered to victims consciously and unconsciously.
-Racelighting differs from gaslighting in that the messages are racial and racist.
-Racelighting can occur at an individual or group level.
How to Recognize and Respond to Racial Gaslighting (
The term gaslighting, as you might already know, refers to a particular type of emotional abuse where someone is made to question the validity of their experiences, feelings, and beliefs.

When this form of manipulation is used specifically to undermine or minimize someone’s experiences of racism, it’s called racial gaslighting.

Racial gaslighting mostly affects People of Color, according to Jason Cunningham, LMHC, a therapist at Alma.

One of the earliest mentions of racial gaslighting occurs in a 2016 research paper by Professor Angelique Davis and Dr. Rose Ernst. This study highlighted the ways individual acts of racial gaslighting can contribute to white supremacy at large.
How to recognize if you're being racially gaslighted
It's worth recognizing racial gaslighting when it occurs.
1. You sense something is wrong
2. They blame the victim
3. They police your tone
Racelighting
Racelighting is an act of psychological manipulation where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racial messages that distort their realities and lead them to second-guess themselves.
Racelighting: A Prevalent Version of Gaslighting Facing People of Color (Frank Harris IIIJ. Luke Wood)
Informed by the notion of gaslighting, we offer “racelighting” as a concept to represent a unique type of gaslighting experienced in the daily, normalized realities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Racelighting refers to the process whereby People of Color question their own thoughts and actions due to systematically delivered racialized messages that make them second guess their own lived experiences with racism. When racelighted, People of Color may begin to question their interpretation of reality and begin to wonder if they are being overly sensitive.
Racial gaslighting (Davis and Ernst )
How does white supremacy – the systemic covert and overt version – remain inextricably woven into the ideological fabric of the United States? We argue that racial gaslighting – the political, social, economic and cultural process that perpetuates and normalizes a white supremacist reality through pathologizing those who resist – offers a framework to understand its maintenance in the United States. Racial gaslighting is a process that relies on racial spectacles...naming and clarifying racial gaslighting processes assist in building collective language and strategies to challenge this systemic violence and its manifestations.
Racial Gaslighting Is Real, and for BIPOC Women, It’s Thoroughly Toxic ( Nakeisha Campbell)
We’ve seen gaslighting in the context of relationships, parenting and even the workplace. But one form of this subert manipulation tactic can be even more challenging to recognize: racial gaslighting. And, unfortunately, it’s even more common than most people realize. For instance, if you’ve ever been accused of playing the “race card” or told to “lighten up” over a racist remark, then chances are you’re experiencing racial gaslighting. But before we explore the term further, let’s start with the basics.
What Is Gaslighting And How Do You Deal With It?
Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that hinges on creating self-doubt. “I think of gaslighting as trying to associate someone with the label ‘crazy,’” says Paige Sweet, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan who studies gaslighting in relationships and in the workplace. “It’s making someone seem or feel unstable, irrational and not credible, making them feel like what they’re seeing or experiencing isn’t real, that they’re making it up, that no one else will believe them.” Gaslighting involves an imbalance of power between the abuser and the person they’re gaslighting. Abusers often exploit stereotypes or vulnerabilities related to gender, sexuality, race, nationality and/or class.
What is Racial Gaslighting?
Researchers use the term “racial gaslighting” to describe a way of maintaining a pro-white/ anti-black balance in society by labelling those that challenge acts of racism as psychologically abnormal
What is ‘racial gaslighting’ – and why is it so damaging for people of colour?
The point of gaslighting is to undermine and make a person question their own judgement, perception or memory. Racial gaslighting is exactly the same – only it makes the victim question their judgement on issues of racism.

Racial gaslighting videos

7 Methods of Killing Racial Gaslighting: This series is led by Ayebatonye Abrakasa and Yvonne Sewankambo.

The roles of gaslighting and narcissism in racism | Dr. Ramani

What is Racial Gaslighting?

Racial gaslighting is used to make people of color feel invalidated. Host Manu Avilés-Santiago sits down with Faith Brooks, writer, speaker, and co-host of Melanated Faith podcast, on what racial gaslighting really means and how you should respond.

Racial Justice Resources for Activists, Advocates & Allies

Racial Gaslighting

Racelighting is an act of psychological manipulation where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) receive racial messages that distort their realities and lead them to second-guess themselves. (Racelighting.net)

Racial gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes people of color question their own experiences of racism. (Metro)

Racial gaslighting web resources

Racial gaslighting videos