Reflections on "Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit" by Mary-Frances Winters

In this month's edition of the Diversity Be Like Book Club, we will be discussing Mary-Frances Winters book Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit. In this book the author notes how structural racism at every level of our society is responsible for black fatigue. Here are my top 3 takeaways from the book.

The Definition of Fatigue and It's Meaning Amongst Black People

In the book, the author notes there are two main definitions listed in the dictionary for the word fatigue. The first being that fatigue is defined as extreme tiredness from mental or physical exertion. The second being weakness in materials, as caused by stress. The author notes that both definitions can be applied to the current situation that black people face in this country. The first definition being the one that most people tend to think of when it comes to black fatigue, because in this country there is so much mental of physical effort on the part of black people to exist in a country with systemic racist practices in every aspect of our lives, that the end result is an extreme tiredness by black people that affects our mental wellness, our health, and many other aspects of our lives. The author also notes that the second definition, although referring to materials, not people, can still relate to black people. Particularly, how stress induced by racism leads to physical, emotional, and spiritual weakness among black people.

How Intersectionality Can Amplify Fatigue

The author also spends a good bit of time noting the level of fatigue can differ based on the particular experiences among black people. Particularly, differences in gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. can all add layers to the level of fatigue experienced by black people in our society. These intersections of race and these other categories make the level of fatigue experienced by black men, women, children, homosexuals, transgender, and other categories all unique in the level of fatigue experienced with the black community, many times amplifying the level of fatigue experienced by a particular group.

A Reimagined World

At the end of the book, the author quickly runs through a list of possibilities if we were to reimagine our society without systemic racism and other structural hinderances that cause stress the black community. In this reimagined world, the author notes how things would move much smoother, without the current barriers in place as a result of racism, sexism, ageism, transphobia, etc. I definitely believe in visualizing where you would like to be, so I appreciate the author painting a picture of our society without the structural issues that lead to black fatigue.

Conclusion

In summary, I enjoyed the book and suggest that you read it, especially if you are interested in learning about systemic racism, and how it affects the everyday lives of black people. I thought the book was well written, compelling, and has many stories that are easy to place yourself in the authors shoes as she explains them. The book is likely one that many black people will be able to relate to and many nonblack people can learn from.