Othering Within the African Diaspora
Written by Keisha Mathew, LCSW
Black therapists are granted a great deal of trust when it comes to our clients, especially clients who identify as Black and/or of African descent. We provide a sacred space for those that have experienced tremendous harm by simply existing in their bodies. On a personal level, we understand how powerful it is for our clients to experience a reprieve from code switching and having to guard their true selves in spaces that our elders often refer to as “mixed company.” For our clients that have layered identities, selecting a Black therapist is often considered a safer choice for their healing. It can be life changing for the client to have a competent therapist who can fuse both their own lived experience and their clinical knowledge to assist in the therapeutic process. As a community, we know the impact stereotypes have had on us. We also know that Blackness is not a monolith, and neither is the African diaspora. The African diaspora is defined as “the long-term historical process by which people of African descent have been scattered from their ancestral homelands to other parts of the world.” What it means to be Black, what it means to celebrate Blackness, and how we connect with our heritage is wide in range and layered. The African diaspora possess different identities, hair textures, facial features and experiences that are rooted in indigenous African cultures and impacted by colonialism.
Yet, there are times when Black folk can and have harmed other Black folk for their perceived differences. This is often seen with youth in social settings such as schools and young adults in the dating scene. From primary grades to college, Black youth of multiple generations in America are often unfairly compared to first generation Black youth arriving from other parts of the world for their level of intellect, worldliness and proximity to white acceptance. Some of the triggering experiences that have lingered for both groups center around a lack of knowledge about the full story of one another’s journey to America. We know that both are descendants of the African continent and diaspora, but both have very different experiences, advantages, and disadvantages when it comes to social capital and access to resources in America. Not surprisingly, this differential access to resources and acceptance creates tension and a divide that leads to a fragmented sense of community within the diaspora. Those that often carry this burden of truth are the children from both descendants of enslaved Africans as well as the first generation born of African descent.
When it comes to first generation youth, therapists and educators often identify these children as those who live in a household that may have a parent that speaks more than one language, practice a religion that is not held by the dominant culture and/or have a different country they consider to be their homeland. These are all factors that could make them vulnerable in an environment like an educational setting. First generation children who enter American schools often experience a culture shock. They may be teased for their dialect, facial features, or their birth names. A disconnect between their family’s cultural values and the dominant culture around them may contribute to some youth self-isolating or forced isolation by their peers.
First generation Americans’ experiences may sound familiar to many Black Americans who have also been “othered” within their own community. The term “othering” means the act of treating someone as though they are not part of a group and are different in some way. This contributes to the tension associated with clients that are seen as “not black enough.” This form of internalized racism is prevalent within both the dating and school environment.
Clients who have experienced this form of alienation often retain vivid memories of those moments. Both stages of American life often serve as rites of passage for young adults. It is also where harmful attitudes and behaviors rooted in colonialism and slavery can appear. One prominent example is colorism. Hashtags such as #teamlightskin and #teamdarkskin can be found with thousands of posts and likes on social media from youth and adults from all over the globe. The tension shared online often spills over into the educational settings and dating apps. The power of the internet and our celebrity obsessed culture has increased the desire to alter skin tones, which can be with makeup or, digitally, with the use of social media filters. Such harmful trends are rampant on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Consuming social media that highlights Eurocentric beauty standards on a daily basis contributes to low self esteem, anxiety and depression. Supporting clients to take social media breaks, following uplifting content creators & pages, removing apps from their phones has been beneficial when used in collaboration with modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It has shown to be most effective in assisting clients with internet addiction.
During the pandemic, while I was virtually supervising an afterschool club, a first generation student with dark skin vented to the group about her disgust with Black boys only dating light skin girls. She (and other girls who identified as Black) shared their experiences of colorism, texturism (hair) and gatekeeping as a common occurrence that has been inherited from our ancestors, and passed down within nearly every community in the African diaspora. This “ancestral norm” is where youth and young adults are in need of healing from internalized racism held by other Black folk. This form of bias from “kinfolk'' has caused emotional and psychological damage that may require therapists of African descent to be a vessel for healing and forgiveness.
The African diaspora may be at times a fragmented community due to distance, language barriers, culture, and history. But it holds the opportunity for us to grow and have a deeper connection to our ancestor’s stories. It also holds the promise of healing the scars left behind by colonialism. Black therapists have a very important role to assist in being a bridge toward collective work between the diverse groups that make up the African diaspora.
Interventions for Healing and Building Community
Narrative Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Art therapy
Affinity groups/clubs (School SW & counselors)
Activities for Building Cultural Expression and Self Love
Family tree/Genogram making
Affirmations (My Blackness is / I love my brown skin / My ancestors gifted me..))
Guided meditation
Love letter to self
Listen to the corresponding podcast here.