Dharius Daniels - The Emotional Impact of Injustice

I just finished a long, very emotionally taxing day, and I came across a few things today that I felt might be helpful for me to pull back the curtain a little and allow some of you to gain insight into the emotional impact that acts of injustice have—not just personally and individually, but communally for all people. Incidents like the murder of George Floyd are communal emotional triggers that send shockwaves through the African American community. As spiritual leaders, it becomes complex to navigate our own emotions, considering what we’ve experienced personally, manage our emotions as parents when our children are asking hard questions, and also help navigate the emotions of the people we are serving through this situation.

What I want to do is give you an inside view. I’m going to read a few texts that I’ve received recently, either directly or forwarded to my office, to give you a sense of how these events emotionally impact us as a community. These are triggers not because they are isolated incidents; it may seem like isolated incidents, but studies show that some lead to death while many do not. Some incidents are covered by the media—or captured on film—while many are not. So, I’m going to recount one.

This text says: «I’m pissed, I’m triggered, I’m scared. This video was like a volcanic eruption for me, and I am more scared to leave my house as a Black man living in a predominantly white town. I am afraid of getting infected with COVID. There’s a palpable pain in my chest. Even when I tried to avoid watching the video, a talk show showed it, and I didn’t know it was coming. I couldn’t avoid it; it messed me up.»

This text comes from a grown man, by the way, who has two graduate degrees from two different Ivy League institutions, so he is used to navigating majority spaces and is well aware of the reality of these issues. That is an example of the emotional impact this had on him.

The next example is from an email we received at our office from one of the members of our spiritual family. This person shared that their child came to them one night and asked, «Can I be baptized so that I will be saved and go to heaven just in case I die?» The parent said, «I don’t know how to feel because it sounds like my son is preparing for death even before he knows his purpose.» Keep in mind, he’s only 12. I can’t translate the emotional turmoil that creates.

I remember both instances like yesterday. The first time one of my boys was called a racial slur, I recall him playing soccer—I remember his yellow shirt and black shorts. This was just one minute south in Jersey. I also remember the first time my youngest was called a slur. I was in the kitchen when he texted me that he got called a name at school. I was shocked. He came home, and I spoke to him—he said he was fine as I put my hand on his shoulder—but he broke down crying when we finally talked.

I have one more text from a parent, who wrote, «Hey Pastor, I know you have a lot on your plate, but my son is asking me a question: ‘Mom, why are they killing us? ’ I don’t know what to say.» It is communally emotionally traumatic.

So, to wrap this up, I think sometimes we believe we should move from empathy to advocacy, but that can’t be true empathy without understanding. I wanted to pull back the curtain so that people understand the emotional ramifications.

The good thing is that those who reached out to me or who I heard from indirectly have the tools—they have spiritual support from their spiritual family, and many have the emotional resources to manage and process this properly. But imagine those who feel everything these individuals are experiencing without such support. They may not have family or spiritual resources, or they may lack the emotional wellness to process this in a constructive way.

Now, take that and compound it with all the other implications of injustice, such as the spiritual implications and how it creates an evangelistic barrier for the African American community. It makes it really difficult to reach people and invite them to be a part of a faith that can sometimes be perceived as not for them. This reality makes them susceptible to being drawn in by other religious groups that affirm their dignity and worth, highlighting the struggles that believers are facing.