The Impact of Gun Violence on Black Families

One day, my life and ‘my story’ shifted. I received an unexpected phone call early in the morning on April 23, 2017, from my uncle offering to pick me up for breakfast. He told me to be ready and he would pick me up from my college dorm room in 30 minutes. When he arrived, I got in the car and we greeted one another and proceeded to his home for his ‘famous’ waffles. My uncle asked if I had spoken to my parents recently and I responded “no” and he told me to call them. On the phone, my mother informed me that my older brother was murdered the previous night in Jonesboro, GA and was shot three times by senseless gun violence. At this time in my life, when things were not going so well for my family, I realized that anger was accompanied by pain and that people grieved differently and unhealthily at times.

My interest in psychology developed through listening to my mother and her colleagues in Education discuss the social and emotional needs of today’s youth at the age of 14, specifically the plight of the young African American males in their schools and family systems. I often asked questions about the causes of young African American males’ behaviors; however, they did not know how to explain how the family of origin impacted the troubled youth attending their schools at the time. In regards to my brother Ronald, he was not involved in gang activity or any illegal issues. It appears that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This tragedy led to questions and curiosity concerning factors that would contribute to someone taking an innocent person’s life without remorse and the ensuing family grief process.

Over the past few decades, gun violence has also become more prevalent in the United States. The trauma caused by gun violence is disproportionately high among Black men in the African American community. Researchers have found that African Americans living in economically disadvantaged urban areas are more likely to experience trauma. There's a higher risk of trauma exposure among black men over 18. There are 192,000 trauma deaths in America, 41 million ER visits, 2.3 million hospital admissions, according to the National Trauma Institute. Trauma is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM-V) as "experience of death, serious injury, or sexual violence resulting from three types of exposure:

1. Being directly exposed to the event,

2. Witnessing the event in person,

3. Learning that the event occurred to a close family member or friend.”

In urban areas, traumas are more prevalent. Many of these include losses, assaults, and witnessing the death of others. PTSD is a response to trauma and stress. Latinx, Asians, and African Americans have higher rates of PTSD than Caucasians, according to the DSM-V.

How we interact with others and how we are influenced by others is highly influenced by culture. Our caregivers play a crucial role in socializing us, and our environment also plays a large role in how we interact across cultures. When African Americans experience trauma, such as gun violence, they turn to the system around them. The resilience of Black people allows them to thrive despite extraordinarily adverse circumstances. Having resilience refers to the ability to adapt or recover from one's adversities and also contributes to the ability to function successfully despite chronic stressors. Resources from your family, your friends, and your community are imperative to developing resiliency. In a family context, resilience can emphasize the regulating processes within a system's dynamics. The ability to build resilience can help families deal with trauma, stabilize themselves, and mediate the relationship between adversity and adaptability. Therapy can assist in regulating both the family system and an individual's development within the family. The strength of African American families is one of the most effective coping strategies African Americans and other BIPOC use when dealing with PTSD. It is also important to have positive peer influences; a supportive school, a supportive community, mentors, or a strong faith system. In the impacted communities, Black families can learn how to learn how to cope, be supportive, and have open conversations about coping after trauma, using the community centers providing supportive services.