Professor Ingrid Waldron releases book on racial trauma and healing

Join the faculty of humanities for an evening of music, food and insightful conversation on the impacts of racial trauma in Black communities from the colonial era to today

The faculty of humanities at McMaster University will host a book launch for author and professor Ingrid Waldron on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the McMaster Continuing Education Building, Room 204. It is free to attend, with a catered meal provided for all guests.

Waldron is the Hope Chair in Peace and Health in the Global Peace and Social Justice Program within the faculty of humanities at McMaster. She has released a new book titled From the Enlightenment to Black Lives Matter: Tracing the Impacts of Racial Trauma in Black Communities from the Colonial Era to the Present, which examines how racism continues to affect Black people’s mental health.

Waldron’s book brings together research from her PhD thesis, published at Dalhousie University in 2002, along with recent studies conducted in Hamilton and Halifax on mental illness among Black people.

“In Hamilton last year I completed a study on mental health problems experienced by Black youth in Hamilton and their experiences seeking care or accessing mental health services . . . In 2020, when I was still living in Halifax, I did a study on Black women's experiences with mental illness and seeking care in Halifax . . . I also did a study at around the same time in Halifax on Black youth in Nova Scotia and their experiences with mental illness, but with a focus on psychotic illnesses,” said Waldron.

Waldron’s research shows how racism continues to shape many areas of life, including education, employment, health care and mental health services. She emphasized the importance of Black people understanding the history behind the racism they face.

“If we don’t understand that history, we tend to blame ourselves,” said Waldron. “We internalize oppression, we internalize our racism to the point where we feel that something about us is faulty.”

Waldron explained that when Black people understand where these feelings come from, they are less likely to feel that they are the problem. She believes that recognizing the history of racism can help break the cycle of self-blame and foster healing.

Waldron also emphasized that her book empowers and validates Black readers rather than victimizing them.

“I think you feel empowered because I provide statistics and studies . . . So I think a person who reads that is able to point to the system as the cause of that and why that's happening,” said Waldron.

However, Waldron’s book is not just for Black readers. She encourages non-Black people, particularly White mental health professionals and policymakers, to read it and understand the profound impact of racism on Black mental health.

“Most mental health professionals are White, and most professors at universities who teach this are White . . . I need them to know that there’s a real impact of racism on Black people’s mental health. I need them to know that the mental health system needs to change. It needs to be much more culturally responsive to Black people of different cultures,” said Waldron.

The book also examines how mental health professionals interact with Black clients and calls for systemic changes in the field. Waldron advocates for more research on Black mental health, as well as mental health policies that reflect Black experiences. She also stresses the need for greater diversity in mental health policymaking.

“Mental health policymakers in Canada are typically White. And that’s the root of everything. Policy shapes programs, policy shapes services. So if all policymakers are White, male, middle class, they’re navigating their world as White men who are middle class. They’re not going to understand the experiences of people who are not White, male and middle class,” said Waldron.

Waldron hopes her book helps people understand the real impact of racial trauma.

“Racial trauma is real, racial trauma is valid. It’s real and it can lead to mental health problems experienced by Black people,” said Waldron. She also believes that it is important for everyone to be part of the solution, not just Black people.

Waldron hopes that both Black and non-Black readers come away understanding how they can work together to create a more equal and supportive mental health system.

If you are interested in this discussion, you can register to join Waldron at her book launch on March 26, 2025. For more details, visit the faculty of humanities' Instagram.